NORMAL ROTATION OR REFRESHER? PRO-6: 46 relieved police chiefs to undergo retraining

By Jennifer P. Rendon

After implementing a one-time massive relief of 46 chiefs of police in Western Visayas, the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) maintained that the move was part of a normal rotation process.

In a press conference on Monday, Feb. 2, PRO-6 Director Brig. Gen. Josefino Ligan said some of the relieved chiefs had exceeded their time-in-position limits.

“Some have been there for five years. Others, 10 years. They were just rotating around,” he said.

Ligan noted that familiarity with their posts may have narrowed their leadership focus and that reassignment will expose them to broader responsibilities at regional and provincial headquarters.

He added that only 46 out of 110 chiefs of police—or 41.82%—in Western Visayas were affected.

Ligan emphasized that the personnel movement was evaluated by the Second Level Officers’ Placement Board, chaired by PRO-6 Deputy Regional Director for Administration Brig. Gen. Alexander Mariano.

The board also determines the next assignments for the relieved officers.

When asked why some long-serving chiefs were not affected, Ligan explained that the movement was merit-based.

“We checked their performance. If there’s no accomplishment, it’s not compensated,” he said.

Despite framing the move as routine, Ligan confirmed that the relieved chiefs will undergo retraining.

“We will be capacitating them on several aspects like criminal investigation procedures and, most especially, on unit management,” he said.

Ligan stressed that being a chief of police involves more than crime-solving and coordinating with local governments.

“It’s a very wide spectrum. Maybe they’ve forgotten. That’s why we’re giving them a refresher course,” he added.

The retraining may last as little as two weeks or extend up to a month, with a possible reevaluation after six months.

For those taking over vacated posts, Ligan warned that their performance would also be closely monitored.

“They should work hard—otherwise, they might also get the boot,” he said.

Ligan admitted the reshuffle had met resistance from some local chief executives.

“We will emphasize to them that sometimes a fresh leadership is needed for commanders to gain new perspective,” he said.

He pointed out that personnel who have occupied the same post for too long may lose motivation, which could affect the quality of public service.

Ligan also summoned all 110 chiefs of police to report to Camp Delgado on Monday to discuss operational guidelines.

The PRO-6 memorandum affected 13 chiefs from the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), 11 from the Antique Police Provincial Office (AnPPO), 10 from the Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO), six from the Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO), five from the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), and one from the Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO).