Amid appointment ban, PNP asks Comelec permit to relieve NCRPO chief

The Philippine National Police has asked the permission of the Commission on Elections to relieve National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, who is facing probe for the August 23 hostage fiasco, could be relieved from his post. Director Leocadio Santiago Jr, NCRPO chief, was earlier ordered by the Palace charged administratively for the hostage-taking incident that claimed nine lives. In an interview with GMANews.TV, PNP spokesman Senior Superintendent Agrimero Cruz said they had to ask permission from the Comelec because of the standing election ban on appointment or transfer of government officials during the election period. Cruz said the PNP has already sent a letter to Comelec chairman Jose Melo, adding that the poll body's authorization for Santiago's administrative relief will come in the form of an en banc resolution. "Ito ay para mabigyan siya ng sufficient time para mapaghandaan ang napipintong imbestigasyon sa kanya (His relief will give him sufficient time to prepare for the imminent investigation on him)," Cruz said. If allowed by the poll body, Santiago would become the only two-star general to be relieved from his post, according to Cruz. Cruz said stripping Santiago of his duties as the Metro Manila police's highest official will buy him more time to prepare his defense during the investigation of the National Police Commission (Napolcom), "para hindi siya abala sa pag-manage ng police." Despite his impending relief, Santiago will still be given another position, no longer at the NCRPO, but at the PNP headquarters at Camp Crame in Quezon City. "Ang batas kasi ay nagbabawal na ma-floating status itong mga third-level officers. Bibigyan sila ng tamang position in the while ongoing ang investigation," Cruz said, referring to a ranking police official's "senior executive eligibility." The police spokesman said the PNP's Senior Officer Placement Board (SOPB) has yet to decide to which office Santiago would be transferred, but added it could possibly be to the Project Management Office, which handles the PNP Integrated Transformation Program. Being eyed to replace Santiago is Calabarzon regional police director Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome, who supposedly will be replaced by Western Visayas regional police director Chief Superintendent Samuel Pagdilao. Santiago and Pagdilao are both members of the PMA Class of 1979, while Bartolome belongs to the PMA Class of 1980. Apart from Santiago, other police officials ordered charged by President Benigno Aquino III were Manila Police head Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay, hostage negotiator Superintendent Orlando Yebra, and Manila Police Special Weapons and Tactics Unit head Chief Inspector Santiago Pascual III. Santiago was order charged administratively for "less grave neglect of duty" because he "was the immediate superior of Magtibay, but it appears that he did not closely and actively monitor how Magtibay was handling the hostage situation." Yebra and Santiago were relieved at the height of the hearings of the Incident Investigation and Review Committee last month, prior to the start of the election ban on appointments. They will remain under the NCRPO. — LBG, GMANews.TV