By ERWIN ‘AMBO’ DELILAN
ASIDE from the immediate restoration of peace and order and security in Bacolod, the city’s newly-installed top cop will also be weathering lots of unspoken pressure. Let’s be candid, scores of prominent businessmen in Bacolod don’t like him. Some elite families, too. And the silent majority as well.
Why?
Police Colonel Noel Aliño, per public knowledge, wasn’t the first choice of Mayor Albee Benitez. Rather, it was Colonel Victorino Romanillos Jr., a respectable and bemedalled Negrense police officer.
Romanillos, chief of the Police Regional Community Affairs and Development Division (PRCADD) at Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City, however, begged off because he’s about to retire soon. Besides, he’s been with the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) before, thus, he knew the “pressures” within.
“Cloud of doubts” started to form after Bacolodnons knew that Colonel Aliño was not even chosen by Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. to be their permanent provincial police director.
Then, Colonel Aliño’s alleged dismal performance when he was still acting director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) spread like a wildfire in the “City of Smiles”.
He was criticized over the IPPO’s investigation of the infamous Estancia massacre case. Three were killed in that gruesome gun-slay on Sept. 14, 2022 yet, the case “ended to nothing”.
In the spirit of fairness and transparency, I phoned Colonel Aliñon and point-blank asked him re: Estancia massacre.
He said he just inherited the case from his predecessor.
“But it doesn’t mean that I did nothing,” he underscored. “I did my best, too.”
‘VIGILANTES’ IN THE CITY
Now, the challenge is, how will he address the reported “vigilantes” in Bacolod City?
These vigilantes are suspected to be behind the series of dumping of disjointed human body parts like hands and feet in public areas.
The “manner and pattern” per se (from January to April) has alarmed Mayor Albee.
The discovery of a mutilated right hand in Purok Riverside, Barangay Bata on April 17 compelled the mayor to demand from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) an immediate change in the BCPO leadership.
The request was granted.
The following day, Colonel Aliño replaced in haste retirable BCPO chief, Colonel Thomas Joseph Martir. It “shocked” Bacolodnons.
In his inaugural speech, Colonel Aliño stressed that first thing first, he’ll instill the right discipline among his men.
What is this particular discipline?
Such, he said, is aligned with the current mandate of the PNP in general.
PONDEVILLA MURDER
Another challenge for Colonel Aliño is the much-talked Atty. Dan Pondevilla murder.
Atty. Pondevilla, general manager of Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (NONECO), was gunned down while on board his sports utility vehicle (SUV) along the busy Lacson Street early morning of Dec. 21, last year.
The case remains unsolved still.
It put Mayor Albee’s leadership in question in addressing this high-profile assassination in the city.
So, vowed by Colonel Aliño, he’ll revisit all the unsolved killings in Bacolod.
Then, he promised immediate intervention(s) to produce prompt results.
Hope so.
‘DON’T DARE ME’
Illegal drugs next.
Mayor Albee in July last year pledged to address the worsening illegal drugs problem in the city.
The mayor was cheered.
Lo and behold, every month, drug hauls in Bacolod are valued at millions of pesos. Really, not a joke anymore.
Before embarking to the tedious drug on war in the city, Colonel Aliño personally funded the surprise drug test of 43 commissioned police officers. He said he wanted to “start clean”.
Then, on Thursday noon (April 20), he issued a stern warning to all BCPO men and women with regards to the city’s anti-drug campaign: “Don’t dare me!”
Immediately, such a warning created a “silent stir” in the city.
Minutes after, BCPO spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Sherlock Gabana, issued a media advisory via text message (PM) that ordinary media concerns must be coursed through him.
“Per instruction of CD (City Director), if daily interview na hindi naman mga sensational, ako na lang mapapa-intereview sa inyo. Then, every presscon na lang siya mapa-interview sa inyo,” Gabana’s text message read.
Let it be known that Mayor Albee gave Colonel Aliño only six months to perform better.
Let us see./PN
