Ben Madilynn
LT. COL. Dyan Agustin will be the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Lapu-Lapu City Police Office (LLCPO), while Lt. Col. Monico Cadayona has been appointed as the new chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Regional Intelligence Unit.
According to Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, PRO 7 spokesman, Agustin and Cadayona will replace Ali Abendan Baron and Col. Gervacio Balmaceda Jr., respectively.
The two police officers were ordered relieved along with three others by Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos Jr. after an illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (Pogo) hub was discovered inside the Tourist Garden Hotel in Barangay Agus, Lapu-Lapu City last Aug. 31, 2024.
Pelare said that it is standard procedure in the Philippine National Police to relieve officers under investigation to facilitate a thorough and impartial inquiry.
“There’s an ongoing investigation to determine if there were any lapses,” he said in a mix of Cebuano and English on Saturday, Sept. 14.
He also clarified that the removal or transfer of officers has no “negative connotation,” as it does not imply guilt.
He said officers will be given due process, and if found not at fault, they will have the opportunity to return and serve.
Last Aug. 31, a composite team led by the National Bureau of Investigation 7 took into custody 169 foreigners who were engaged in illicit activities inside the hotel compound.
The raid prompted the relief of Maj. Judith Besas of the Marigondon Police Station and Lt. Col. Dindo Alaras, chief of the Lapu-Lapu City Intelligence Unit, due to their failure to detect the illegal Pogo.
Maj. Christopher Castro and Maj. Lean Rey Endozo later replaced Besas and Alaras, respectively.
Meanwhile, Pelare stated that they are still waiting for the appointment of Col. Marlon Santos’ replacement as head of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7.
In a separate interview, Agustin said he was confident to take over the new role as OIC of the LLCPO, adding that he was “100 percent ready.”
“On the part of the PNP we need to immediately take action when there is a crime… We are confident that we are able to comply,” he said in a mix of Tagalog and English.
Earlier, the DILG sent a five-man team of lawyers to Cebu to investigate the potential involvement of Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and other local government officials in the illegal Pogo discovered in Barangay Agus. / DPC
