‘Confusing’ appointment of CPPO chief explained

CEBU, Philippines —  Police Regional Office-7 Director Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo yesterday clarified that the appointment of Colonel Robert Lingbawan as officer-in-charge of Cebu Provincial Police Office was based on Camp Crame’s order.

Confusion arose when Lingbawan, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division-7, sat as OIC provincial director when Governor Gwendolyn Garcia picked Colonel Engelbert Soriano, the former chief of Cebu City Police Office, as the next top provincial police chief.

The CPPO chief post became vacant following the relief of Colonel Aladdin Collado.

Montejo, however, assured that the movement of officials in CPPO followed the prescribed process, stressing that the orders all came from Camp Crame.

He said that on the same day Collado was relieved, they received an order from the national headquarters installing Lingbawan as replacement.

However, after five days or on April 14, the national headquarters issued another order, relieving Lingbawan and placing Soriano to the post.

“Na-timing man gud to nga si Al Collado nga i-relieve na so pansamantala gibutangan usa og OIC nga si Police Colonel Bert Lingbawan, until such time nga nipili na si Gov og kinsa. So tungod kay naa may order gikan sa taas, so ato tong gisunod paglingkod isip OIC si Police Colonel Lingbawan,” said Montejo.

“Sa dihang nipili na si Gov kang Police Colonel Soriano, unya gi-transmit nato sa Crame for issuance of order, so giisyuhan pud ni’g order sa Crame, then gi-cancel kadtong kang (Lingbawan) as OIC,” he added.

‘Respect Process’

Governor Garcia has asked police officials to respect the process of choosing the new police director.

Montejo sent a letter to the governor on March 29 presenting the nominees for the next provincial police chief. The names included were that of Collado, Soriano, and Colonel Fidel Bautista Fortaleza Jr.

In her reply letter to Montejo, Garcia chose Soriano as the new CPPO chief.

However, Garcia was surprised upon knowing that Lingbawan granted media interviews as new chief of CPPO and even revealed his plans for the province.

“He gave a rather derogatory title of the province being so high in drugs, which took me by surprise kay, well, lisod man gud nga you just go ahead kay mura man ka wala ka kahibalo nga you are working in a particular hierarchy or network,” Garcia lamented.

She said Lingbawan was not even in the list of the nominees.

“He was not in the list. If I knew he was interested, then nagpaapil unta siya diri,” Garcia furthered.

“I already made a choice but he gave over the weekend, he gave a press conference. Murag nahulog nga og kataw-anan ang proseso. Let’s respect the process,” she added.

Lingbawan started his duty as chief of CPPO last April 9.

Garcia said she got confused considering she already made a decision in favor of Soriano last April 7.

“He gave an interview without even presenting himself to me, when in the first place, I should have been given a proper explanation kay Wednesday (April 7), unya one week later mokalit lang siya pa-interview unsa iyang plano sa province. You will have to work with the governor, unya kalimtan lang nimo nga duna may proseso?” Garcia said.

Soriano, for his part, said that he just followed the process after he was chosen to be the provincial director.

According to him, it was last December when he received information that CPPO would need a provincial director and so he applied for it.

The FREEMAN tried but failed to get the comment of Lingbawan as of this writing. — Le Phyllis F. Antojado, JMD (FREEMAN)