La Paz police chief gets the boot

By Jennifer P. Rendon

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) confirmed on Tuesday, October 15, the impending relief of Captain Marlon Perez, chief of the Iloilo City Police Station 2.

Colonel Kim Legada, Iloilo City police chief, acknowledged receiving numerous complaints against Perez, noting that some offenses occurred during the tenure of Legada’s predecessor, Colonel Joeresty Coronica.

Legada did not provide further details but indicated that a recent incident in Barangay Baldoza, La Paz, over the weekend was the final trigger for Perez’s removal.

The incident involved two missing children—a 4-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl—who were found nearly 24 hours later.

Legada expressed disappointment with the report Perez submitted, stating that it lacked any professional police work. The report partially blamed “aswang” (a mythical creature in Filipino folklore) as a reason for the difficulty in locating the children.

In a separate case, Perez’s caretaker, who manages his small duck farm, was also accused of indiscriminate firing.

By relieving Perez, Legada said he aims to protect the ICPO personnel from being further entangled in the controversy.

It has been confirmed that Major Tranquilino Querubin Jr., currently with the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) and formerly assigned to the ICPO, will replace Perez.

Effective October 16, Perez will be reassigned as a platoon leader of the Iloilo City Mobile Force Company.