New Iloilo police chief goes back to basics in solving crimes

By Jennifer P. Rendon

In the past few weeks, several unsolved crime incidents happened in Iloilo province.

This is one of the reasons that led to the eventual relief of Colonel Adrian Acollador as director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).

Acollador’s predecessor, Colonel Noel Aliño, vowed not to repeat the same mistake again.

And his main strategy?

“Let’s go back to the basics: police visibility,” he said.

The newly installed Iloilo police chief believed that the mere presence of police could hinder criminals from doing their illegal activities.

“Kung wala silang nakikitang pulis, they are emboldened to do their nefarious activities,” Aliño said.

With heightened police visibility, he added that they would rid the streets of criminals.

Among the incidents that led to Acollador’s relief were the three robbery-homicide cases that happened in Iloilo province in a span of five days.

On Sept 10, 2022, local pirates allegedly killed a security guard and sailed away with the security agency’s cash of P320,000 at Carles town.

The money was supposed to be the salary of the security agency’s personnel deployed at Sicogon Island.

Four days later, the province was shocked by the deaths of three young entrepreneurs in Estancia.

On Sept 15, a driver of a delivery van was shot dead while his two companions were wounded after three assailants waylaid them.

The suspects took the local cigarette dealer company’s P591,000 cash collection.

As to the complaints of “dirty” police stations, Aliño said he would go around the province to check the stations.

“Titingnan ko kung ano ang nagiging problema. At kung kinakailangan, dapat papaluin din sila,” he said referring to chiefs of police.

With him at the helm of IPPO, Aliño said his leadership would work to further professionalize the local police.