PNP revamp looms as election period nears

PNP field commanders will be reassigned as the election period nears.

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 said majority of officers who will be reassigned are those who reached the two-year tour of duty.

The rigodon will also affect officers who are related, either by affinity or by consanguinity, to candidates.

Based on the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) calendar, the election period and the gun ban take effect on Jan. 13, 2019 to June 12, 2019.

Superintendent Joem Malong, PRO-6 spokesperson, said even police non-commissioned officers (PNCOs) who have relatives running in the May 2019 polls might also be temporarily relieved from their current assignments.

The Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) was first to implement the reshuffling on Dec. 2018.

Last week, around 11 officers of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) were affected by the revamp.

On Monday, Jan. 7, Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOPPO) welcomed its new acting director after Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Castil was relieved.

Castil swapped posts with Senior Superintendent Romeo Valeros, the former chief of the Regional Intelligence Division.

Malong said Chief Superintendent John Bulalacao, Western Visayas police chief, has yet to sign the relief and reassignment order of Senior Superintendent Julio Gustilo, who had been Guimaras Police Provincial Office (GPPO) director for two years already.

Malong said Bulalacao gave discretion to provincial and city police directors to institute the revamp in their jurisdictions.

“So, we expect that other police offices would also have movement of personnel soon,” she said.