By CYRUS M. GARDE
BACOLOD City — Senior Supt. Larry Decena, officer-in-charge of the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO), will leave his post today after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56.
Two names of his possible successors have cropped up: Senior Supt. Iver Apellido and Senior Supt. Pedrito Escarilla.
A send-off ceremony for Decena was held at the BCPO headquarters on Magsaysay Street here at 5 p.m. yesterday.
Supt. Armando Tubongbanua, BCPO’s deputy director for administration, will temporarily assume Decena’s post.
Apellido was promoted as senior superintendent just last December. He once served as head of the Regional Public Safety Battalion in Camp Anecito Lacson in Victorias City.
Escarilla, on the other hand, has served as acting director of Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO) last year and head of the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division at the Police Regional Office 6 in Camp Delgado, Iloilo City, in 2011.
Senior Supt. Samuel Nacion replaced him as APPO chief.
Chief Supt. Josephus Angan, police regional director, said the mayor will select the next BCPO director from a list of nominees.
Decena had led several police stations in Western Visayas. He had been in the police service for 31 years already./PN
