Samar police relieved

Kathleen Mae B. Bulquerin · Aug 15, 2018, 8:00 AM

Philippine National Police chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde, on Monday ordered the relief of all personnel of the Lapinig Municipal Police Station in Northern Samar and other police officials of the province following the recent attack of the communist rebel last Friday.

Albayalde said that the relief of the entire police station is necessary to ensure thorough investigation of the incident.

“Based on the recommendations of the PNP Oversight Committee, it is quite unfortunate but necessary for us to relieve all personnel of the Lapinig Municipal Police Station in Northern Samar,” said Albayalde.

Among the relieved police officials include Lapinig chief of police, Insp. Noli Montebon; commander of the 2nd Northern Samar Provincial Mobile Force Company, Chief Insp. Juan Byron Leogo; Northern Samar Provincial Director, Senior Supt. Romeo Campomanes and Regional Director of Eastern Visayas, Chief Supt. Mariel Magaway.

“(This is) to give way to a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the raid staged by at least 50 communist NPA (New People’s Army) dissident terrorists on the town hall and police station at 2:00AM last Friday,” Albayalde added.

Albayalde said the relief of the Northern Samar police force is part of the PNP’s ‘one-strike” policy against lackluster performance field commanders in anti-criminality and internal security operations.

“This will serve as a warning as well as give more teeth to my earlier directive that this time we mean business, not business as usual,” Albayalde said.

Last 10 August, at least 50 NPA rebels attacked Lapinig Municipal Police Station where two policemen were wounded.

At least nine service firearms, cash, cellphones and laptop computers were missing from the station and the items are believed to be taken by the rebels.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato said the remaining communist rebels are now engaging in extortion and other atrocities, including executions, to survive.