CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Gov. Eddie Panlilio appealed anew yesterday to Pres. Arroyo herself and other government officials to relieve the Pampanga provincial police director, this city’s police chief and “their men” from their posts for “gross dereliction of duty and incompetence” following the assault on the provincial capitol here last Monday.
“For more than 18 months now, I have been asking the President (Arroyo) no less to replace Col. (Senior Supt.) Keith Ernald Singian to no avail”, Panlilio said in a statement yesterday.
“Today, I am raising again my voice calling the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership, the Department of Interior and Local Governments secretary, and the President (Arroyo) for the relief of Col. Singian, the Chief of Police of the City of San Fernando Col. (Benjamin) Medina, and their men for gross dereliction of duty and incompetence,” Panlilio’s statement said.
Apart from his appeal to the President, Panlilio said he planned to “personally file” his petition for their ouster before the offices of Local Governments Sec. Ronaldo Puno, PNP Director General Jesus Versoza, and National Police Commission.
Both Singian and Medina denied dereliction of duty. Singian said he had alerted Medina last Sunday about an illegal rally slated for the following day by the Federation of Pampanga Truckers, Inc. (FPTI) at Arnedo Park in front of the capitol.
Medina told Punto! he got the instructions from Singian at about 6 p.m. last Sunday, and that at 7:30 a.m. last Monday, he had already deployed a platoon of about 28 cops in the capitol area. “The problem is that the capitol area is vast and we had to deploy men also to manage traffic to prevent trucks used in the protest from clogging traffic,” said.
Panlilio recalled that at about 9:30 a.m. last Monday, “several rallyists composed of former provincial checkers and members of Pampanga truckers with their drivers and helpers barged into the provincial capitol and proceeded to the second floor kicking door attempting to enter my office”.
“The door was forced open. The rallyists retreated upon noting that my security officers are ready to engage them in combat and protect me from any imminent danger,” he said.
He stressed that “this attack was not merely an attack against me as a person but an attack against the very office I now hold, the office of the Governor, an attack against the people of Pampanga”.
Panlilio recalled that after the assault on his office, the rallyists remained “undaunted” and “proceeded to the office of the provincial administrator (Vivian Dabu) and likewise attempted to barge into her office knowing fully well that there are no security officers who would protect her”.
“Fortunately enough, her staff immediately locked the doors when they heard the rallyists going up the second floor lobby”.
He noted that the provincial capitol is “the seat of power in this province”, as he also blamed the provincial board or the Sangguniang Panlalawigan which, he lamented “did not see fit to protect us but instead opened the door for these incidents to happen by unceremoniously and illegally declaring the Macario Arnedo Park as a freedom park.”
Since the start of his administration, Panlilio has been at odds over various issues with members of the provincial board, including its presiding officer Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao.
Panlilio also lamented that later after the assault at the capitol, the rallyists also “repeatedly hit and attacked my two nephews who are here in the country for a vacation”. He said cops were “just a stone’s throw away” from the incident.
But Medina said that eight of his cops actually prevented the rallyists from harming Panlilio’s nephews.
“When they saw some altercation as the rallyists appeared to be pulling the nephews, the cops intervened and prevented violence,” he said.
Medina also said his cops had wanted to get statements from Panlilio’s nephew so that charges could be filed against their violators, but that Dabu had intervened and took custody of the two youths in her second floor office at the capitol.
“She even pointed accusing fingers at my men as if they were the culprits,” Medina said.
Panlilio said the streamer incident occurred after “my nephews attempted to tear down the offensive streamers put up by the former (lahar quarry operation) checkers”. He noted that he had earlier filed charges against the rallyists for such streamers.
Panlilio noted that earlier, Singian had defied his orders to dismantle the same streamers and arrest some of the rallyists violating the law.
“Singian and his men dilly-dallied till the period to arrest had lapsed. Till this morning nothing happened. No arrest was made and none will be made,” he said.
“For several months now, we have endured the daily insults thrown at us by these rallyists. Malicious, offensive streamers hung around the park and their trucks carrying libelous, suggestive pictures of me and Atty. Dabu were roving the province,” he said.
Panlilio said that the untoward incidents last Monday “merely accentuated the marked incompetence of our police force
“I am appealing to our well-meaning Kabalens to open their eyes and be involved. These despicable acts are not merely due to the ineptitude of the police officers, the lack of wisdom of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the disrespect to authority and law of the rallyists. These loathsome acts are orchestrated by people who from day one do not wish me to stay a single day longer as Governor of this province,” Panlilio said.
He said “their (vote) recount and recall move had failed. Their last resort is to discredit me, to malign me in public, to humiliate me, to intimidate me, and to make it appear that I am not fit to govern”.
“For more than 18 months now, I have been asking the President (Arroyo) no less to replace Col. (Senior Supt.) Keith Ernald Singian to no avail”, Panlilio said in a statement yesterday.
“Today, I am raising again my voice calling the Philippine National Police (PNP) leadership, the Department of Interior and Local Governments secretary, and the President (Arroyo) for the relief of Col. Singian, the Chief of Police of the City of San Fernando Col. (Benjamin) Medina, and their men for gross dereliction of duty and incompetence,” Panlilio’s statement said.
Apart from his appeal to the President, Panlilio said he planned to “personally file” his petition for their ouster before the offices of Local Governments Sec. Ronaldo Puno, PNP Director General Jesus Versoza, and National Police Commission.
Both Singian and Medina denied dereliction of duty. Singian said he had alerted Medina last Sunday about an illegal rally slated for the following day by the Federation of Pampanga Truckers, Inc. (FPTI) at Arnedo Park in front of the capitol.
Medina told Punto! he got the instructions from Singian at about 6 p.m. last Sunday, and that at 7:30 a.m. last Monday, he had already deployed a platoon of about 28 cops in the capitol area. “The problem is that the capitol area is vast and we had to deploy men also to manage traffic to prevent trucks used in the protest from clogging traffic,” said.
Panlilio recalled that at about 9:30 a.m. last Monday, “several rallyists composed of former provincial checkers and members of Pampanga truckers with their drivers and helpers barged into the provincial capitol and proceeded to the second floor kicking door attempting to enter my office”.
“The door was forced open. The rallyists retreated upon noting that my security officers are ready to engage them in combat and protect me from any imminent danger,” he said.
He stressed that “this attack was not merely an attack against me as a person but an attack against the very office I now hold, the office of the Governor, an attack against the people of Pampanga”.
Panlilio recalled that after the assault on his office, the rallyists remained “undaunted” and “proceeded to the office of the provincial administrator (Vivian Dabu) and likewise attempted to barge into her office knowing fully well that there are no security officers who would protect her”.
“Fortunately enough, her staff immediately locked the doors when they heard the rallyists going up the second floor lobby”.
He noted that the provincial capitol is “the seat of power in this province”, as he also blamed the provincial board or the Sangguniang Panlalawigan which, he lamented “did not see fit to protect us but instead opened the door for these incidents to happen by unceremoniously and illegally declaring the Macario Arnedo Park as a freedom park.”
Since the start of his administration, Panlilio has been at odds over various issues with members of the provincial board, including its presiding officer Vice Gov. Joseller Guiao.
Panlilio also lamented that later after the assault at the capitol, the rallyists also “repeatedly hit and attacked my two nephews who are here in the country for a vacation”. He said cops were “just a stone’s throw away” from the incident.
But Medina said that eight of his cops actually prevented the rallyists from harming Panlilio’s nephews.
“When they saw some altercation as the rallyists appeared to be pulling the nephews, the cops intervened and prevented violence,” he said.
Medina also said his cops had wanted to get statements from Panlilio’s nephew so that charges could be filed against their violators, but that Dabu had intervened and took custody of the two youths in her second floor office at the capitol.
“She even pointed accusing fingers at my men as if they were the culprits,” Medina said.
Panlilio said the streamer incident occurred after “my nephews attempted to tear down the offensive streamers put up by the former (lahar quarry operation) checkers”. He noted that he had earlier filed charges against the rallyists for such streamers.
Panlilio noted that earlier, Singian had defied his orders to dismantle the same streamers and arrest some of the rallyists violating the law.
“Singian and his men dilly-dallied till the period to arrest had lapsed. Till this morning nothing happened. No arrest was made and none will be made,” he said.
“For several months now, we have endured the daily insults thrown at us by these rallyists. Malicious, offensive streamers hung around the park and their trucks carrying libelous, suggestive pictures of me and Atty. Dabu were roving the province,” he said.
Panlilio said that the untoward incidents last Monday “merely accentuated the marked incompetence of our police force
“I am appealing to our well-meaning Kabalens to open their eyes and be involved. These despicable acts are not merely due to the ineptitude of the police officers, the lack of wisdom of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, the disrespect to authority and law of the rallyists. These loathsome acts are orchestrated by people who from day one do not wish me to stay a single day longer as Governor of this province,” Panlilio said.
He said “their (vote) recount and recall move had failed. Their last resort is to discredit me, to malign me in public, to humiliate me, to intimidate me, and to make it appear that I am not fit to govern”.
