THE PNP yesterday relieved Senior Supt.
Keith Singian, chief of the Pampanga Provincial Police Office,
and replaced him with Senior Supt. Gil Lebin Jr.
PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome
said Lebin was installed at 10 a.m. Tuesday in simple
ceremonies.
Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, who had requested
the dismissal of Singian for his failure to stop jueteng,
condemned the PNP move.
"I don’t know Col. Lebin, I have never met
him, I don’t have anything personal against him but I am
objecting to the manner and context," Panlilio said.
Panlilio earlier accused Pampanga Rep. Juan
Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo, San Fernando police chief Supt. Benjamin
Medina, and a certain Fr. Jun Mercado, of working to keep
Singian as provincial director.
Panlilio said Lebin is not his personal
choice but rather the choice of the Pampanga Mayors League.
"I condemn that. What do they think of us
Kapampangans? Why are they all of a sudden discriminating? Are
they saying we’re incompetent? Two years and almost two months.
Pinapaikot-ikot nila yung proseso. Binababoy yung proseso,
the rule of law. Yung pinili nilang OIC inirekomonda ng PML (Pampanga
Mayors League). Ang pumipili hindi lang PML, ang pumipili based
on recommendations ang governor," he said.
Panlilio said his choice is Senior Supt.
Cesar Hawthorne Binag, a known anti-illegal gambling advocate.
Binag is detailed at the Program Management
Office (PMO) which handles the PNP Transformation Program under
the Office of the PNP chief.
The PNP leadership said Binag cannot be
assigned to other posts just yet since the PMO needs his
services.
Bartolome said Lebin will serve as
officer-in-charge of Pampanga until such time that the senior
officers placement and promotions board finishes its
re-deliberation and recommends to Panlilio another set of
qualified officers.
Bartolome said it took them almost two years
to act on Panlilio’s request because there is a process which
they have to follow.
"May process tayo dito sa selection and
recommendation, tapos the resolution was sent back by the
regional director (Chief Supt. Leon Nilo dela Cruz) back to Camp
Crame with a recommendation for a re-deliberation. This time ang
gusto ng regional director ay hindi taga-Pampanga or non-Kapampangan
ang uupo para hindi ma-politika," Bartolome said.
Lebin and Singian belong to the Philippine
Military Academy Class of 1983.
Lebin was assigned to the Criminal
Investigation and Detection Group in Southern Tagalog before he
became the officer-in-charge of the Maritime Group in Palawan.
Singian will be assigned at the office of the
Central Luzon police director.
Sen. Manuel Roxas said Celso de los Angeles,
owner Legacy Group which filed for dissolution before the
Securities and Exchange Commission last December, was among the
jueteng lords who allegedly paid monthly "payolas" to government
officials.
Roxas, chair of the committee on commerce and
trade, said De los Angeles would be grilled on his "jueteng
activities once his panel resumes investigation on the state of
pre-need companies.
He said testimonies during the impeachment
hearing of President Joseph Estrada indicated De Los Angeles was
among the "jueteng" lords who allegedly paid monthly payolas to
government officials for the continued operations of his
"business."
"Magkamag-anak itong jueteng at mga raket
tulad ng mga pre-need plan at double-your-money scheme ng Legacy
ni Celso de los Angeles. Lumalaganap ang mga ito dahil pabaya
ang gobyerno," Roxas said.
Roxas expressed support to Gov. Panlilio in
his fight against jueteng in the President’s home province.
"Ang kailangan natin ngayon, hindi isang
ningas-cogon na gobyerno kundi isang Among Ed na kahit mag isa
ay lalabanan kahit sinong sanggano sa poder para ipagtanggol ang
kapakanan ng kanyang mga kababayan," he said.
Malacañang lashed back at Panlilio, saying he
should wage war against jueteng instead of accusing President
Arroyo and her son Mikey of coddling jueteng protectors in
Pampanga.
"The question may be asked what the good
governor is doing against jueteng if it’s true as he alleges
that it’s rampant in Pampanga. It’s very clear under the Local
Government Code that crimes and vice are the direct
responsibility of local government officials such as the good
governor," Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said.
Ermita said just because the President Arroyo
and Rep. Arroyo are from Pampanga does not mean they condone
jueteng.
He said Panlilio’s allegations are "unfair"
and "foul."
"It’s (a) very wrong perception, very wrong
conclusion." Ermita said. – With JP Lopez and Regina
Bengco
