Pangasinan officials want police chief changed

Police Colonel Chan

By Arian Bermas

DAGUPAN CITY --- Most elective officials of Pangasinan have called for an immediate change of leadership of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in this northern Luzon province. The call was made in a petition signed by the vice governor, 13 provincial board members and 30 municipal mayors. Among the complaints heaped on the provincial police chief were: failure to solve major crimes, unilateral shuffling of police officers in the province and open display of political leanings. Responding to the clamor for the relief of Police Supt. Marlowe Chan, Governor Espino sent a letter to Commission on Election Chairman Sixto S. Brillantes, Jr seeking Chan's relief. In their call for Chan’s removal from heading the PNP here, the government officials said at least 23 more shooting incidents happened (based on police records when the petition was made) in the province since the election gun ban was imposed last January, but most of these shooting incidents remained unsolved by Chan and his men. The incidence of shooting has increased to 71 as of April 12, 2013. They likewise complained that Chan unilaterally relieved or replaced 28 municipal chiefs of police without consulting the town mayors and the governor, as required by law. “I believe the mayors and the governor deserve the basic courtesy of being informed of the movements in the PNP organization, they being concurrent chairs of their respective peace and order councils, charged with the command responsibility for the overall peace and order situation in their respective jurisdictions,” pointed out Espino in his letter to Brillantes. Before he retired from the PNP, Espino served as a decorated Provincial Commander of Pangasinan and later, as a bemadelled regional police director. In their call for Chan’s relief as Pangasinan PNP OIC Director, the officials said in their petition, “P/Supt. Chan does not have the decency to conceal his political biases, even as he openly flaunts his political leanings.” They further said that his rash and inappropriate behavior has demoralized the ranks and adversely affect the peace and order campaign in Pangasinan. .