Sino kaya ang papalit kay Chief Supt. Bantog?

Noong July 4 nakatakdang magretiro si Chief Superintendent Elmer Bantog, deputy regional director for administration.

Halos magdadalawang taon na rin si Bantog bilang DRDA at kahapon ang kanyang kaarawan at pagreretiro sa Philippine National Police (PNP) service.

Matagal din naging police provincial director ng Aurora bago ito natalaga bilang DRDA sa Police Regional Office-3 (PRO3).

Pag-upo ni Bantog bilang DRDA may ranggo muna siya Senior Superintendent at pagkatapos ng anim na buwan naging Chief Superintendent na siya.

Hindi man lang dumaan bilang deputy director for operations (DRDO) si Bantog at itinalaga ito kaagad bilang DRDA.

Iyong ibang Senior Superintendent ay magiging DRDO muna bago ito maging DRDA.

Mahigit tatlong taon bilang police provincial director ng Aurora si Bantog at siya na yata ang pinakamatagal na naging PD ng Aurora. Karamihan nga ng mga Senior Superintendent, ayaw nilang tanggapin ang Aurora Police Provincial Office hindi lang dahil malayo ito kungdi sa maraming kadahilanan.

Sabi nga ng mga senior police officers sa Dateline, kaya lang tatanggapin ng mga senior superintendent ang Aurora Provincial Office upang magkaroon lamang itong puwesto.

Hanggang sinusulat ang kolum na ito, wala pang nakatakdang itatalagang DRDA.

Kung tutuusin dapat sana si Senior Superintendent Ronaldo Llanera, deputy director for operations (DRDO) ang dapat papalit sa iiwanan nitong puwesto.

Subali’t ayon sa intelligence officer ng Dateline, mayroon umanong itatalaga si Chief PNP Director General Oscar Albayalde sa mababakanteng puwesto.

Sino kaya ito? At sana si Llanera na lang ang maging DRDA dahil ito ang inaasahan ng mga police officer sa Camp Olivas.

IF there is “internal cleansing” in the Philippine National Police (PNP) targeting those involved in the illegal drugs trade, is there also “cleansing’among politicians who are also into the illegal drugs t r ade?

I ask this because another local chief executive was killed. Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili was shot dead by an unidentified gunman while attending a flag raising ceremony at the City Hall grounds last Monday morni n g.

Halili was with other local officials and City Hall employees. Before they could finish singing the national anthem, a single shot rang out. Hit in the chest by sniper fire, the mayor was declared dead on arrival in the hospital.

It was a unique assassination using sniper fire. Who are capable to do such mission? I think it’s only the military and the police.

Halili gained prominence because of his “walk of shame” campaign that paraded suspected criminals and drug dealers in his city. But President Duterte said the mayor was involved into illegal drugs. He even compared the mayor to other mayors linked to the illegal drugs trade and also killed, like Ozamiz City mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr.

Was the killing of narco-politicians also part of the “cleansing” process? If this is so, expect more politicians involved in the illegal drugs to be eliminated? And who is behind this move? Is the government behind this as part of the war n drugs’? Just asking?