Felix new police RD, Lazo slid as his Assistant

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

CAMP FLORENDO, La Union – Was the roller coaster ride who will be the next regional director of the police regional office in Region-1 (PRO-1) has been over?

 Chief Supt. Roman Felix

According to the acting provincial director of the Philippine National Police in Pangasinan, Chief Superintendent Roman Felix has assumed last May 27 the regional post in the four-province Region 1.
“It’s Chief Superintendent Felix. He just assumed the post of the regional director. We support his programs,” Senior Superintendent Raymond Sterling Blanco declared to this blogger.
But a source who asked anonymity cited that Felix’s appointment is in an acting capacity.
Blanco said that after Felix's, a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1983, appointment, Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo, PMA Class 1984, has been returned by the national headquarter as Assistant Regional Director for Administration (ARDA), his former post, of PRO-1.
Lazo, who was recently promoted to a military equivalent of a star-rank, was the officer-in-charge regional director of PRO-1 for six months.
Before the appointment of Felix the public have been treated with a roller coaster ride seeing a number of generals like Chief Superintendents  Diosdado Valeroso  Noli Talino, Wendy Rosario, and Edgar Basbas  appointed by PNP Chief Police Director Alan L. Purisima but found themselves frustrated by holding the proverbial empty bag after they were denied the directorship at the time they were to assume the post.
A political kibitzer, who asked not be named, explained that the maneuvering whom to seat and whom not to seat at the powerful post was the result of the brinkmanship of the power-that-be who has an interest in the race for the 2016 presidential election.
PRO-1 is one of the most envied, just like PRO-3 based in Pampanga province, regional posting in the country because of the sheer size of its demography and the number of provinces it controls.

Blanco said Felix has been an old hand because he used to be the provincial director of Ilocos Norte, then Chief Directorial Staff (CDS), Assistant Regional Director for Operation (ARDO) and ARDA of PRO-1.
CDS, ARDO, and ARDA are the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd higher ranks before the Regional Director.
“Lahat kilala na siya alam na nila ang style nya. He can deal (effectively) with our officers,” he said in the vernacular.

AWARDEE. Pangasinan’s Provincial Police Office Director

 Sr. Supt. Raymond Sterling Blanco proudly shows to this 

paper the twin commendation awards and a silver trophy his 

office won in the Patrol 2030 after it passed recently with 

flying colors the evaluation made at the national police

 headquarter on the Integrated Transformation Program

 – Performance Governance System (ITP-PGS).
MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

The new director,  a native of Tuguegarao, Cagayan, was the chief of  Police Security and Protection Group that is based in Camp Crame, Quezon City before he was whisked as top honcho of PRO-1. He said he would buttress the police visibility in his area of responsibility, promote closer ties with the community, improve disaster preparedness and response capability management and intensify crime prevention.

Meanwhile, Blanco said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) of Pangasinan invited him to appear on June 2 at its session.
He said the agenda for his appearance will be the peace and order of the three cities and 44 towns’ province.
“We will also present our plans and programs iyong mga accomplishments namin saka iyong wish lists namin ”.
He said the support of the province is indispensable for the PNP just like what other local government units have done with the police stations in the province.