Sinas reshuffles key PNP officials

MANILA, Philippines — Several ranking police officials have been reshuffled in the latest round of reorganization in the Philippine National Police a week after Gen. Debold Sinas took over as PNP chief.

In an order signed on Tuesday, Sinas designated his No. 2 man in the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), Brig. Gen. Nolasco Bathan, as the new chief of the PNP Health Service.

Bathan drew public ire after he figured in a controversy when he grabbed a television reporter’s cell phone during the traslacion or procession of the Black Nazarene in Manila last January.

Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Olay will replace Bathan as deputy regional director for administration of the NCRPO.

Financial Service director Brig. Gen. Rex dela Rosa has been assigned to the Directorate for Research and Development. He will be replaced by DRD’s Col. Jose Nartatez Jr.

In a separate order from the chief of the Directorial Staff’s office, Brig. Gen. Matthew Baccay was named director of the Eastern Police District, replacing Brig. Gen. Johnson Almazan who retired yesterday.

Col. George Almaden was designated as acting director of the PNP Legal Service.

On Nov. 13, Sinas appointed former Human Rights Affairs Office director Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana as the PNP’s spokesman.

Usana replaced Col. Ysmael Yu, who was reassigned to the Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit.

Col. Vincent Calanoga took over Usana’s previous post.

Yu served as PNP spokesman for only two months.

The revamp was imposed by Sinas days after he took over the leadership of the 218,000-strong PNP last week.

Apart from Usana, another police official who got a new post is Brig. Gen. Oliver Lee, who was appointed as director of the Drug Enforcement Group.

Lee replaced Brig. Gen. Armando de Leon, who was moved to the Directorate for Human Resource Doctrine and Development.

Sinas relieved Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. as commander of the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group, the lead operating unit dealing with rogue police officers.

Acorda was replaced by Col. Thomas Frias Jr., former chief of the National Capital Region Police Office community affairs division.

Sinas earlier said no major revamp would take place during his six-month term as PNP chief, adding that he would only be filling posts vacated by retirees. – Emmanuel Tupas