CEBU CITY – There will be no letup in the anti-criminality campaign while the war on drugs will be fiercer and the internal cleansing within the police organization will be further intensified.
Police Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon will focus on these three things after he was formally installed as regional director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas yesterday.
De Leon, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1989, assumed the post in a turnover ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, the officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police.
De Leon replaced Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, who is now the director of the National Capital Region Police Office.
As the new PRO 7 chief, De Leon urged all policemen in Central Visayas to stay focused and dedicated amidst the controversies surrounding the PNP.
“Now, we’re at a crossroad because of some controversies hounding the PNP. But let us not be swayed by these realities because what we need now is a true and dedicated leader to lead our 180,000-strong police organization. You know, it doesn’t matter who will become the next chief PNP, what matters is that he can be able to restore the affected image of the PNP,” De Leon said.
De Leon ordered his men to be more aggressive in the campaign against illegal drugs and illegal gambling. “Arrest the perpetrators and their protectors,” said De Leon.
In the 16-month stint of Sinas in Central Visayas, the PRO 7 was able to seize at least P1-billion worth of illegal drugs.
“Gen. Sinas left a big space to fill in. We will sustain the good programs that he initiated and duplicate or even surpass PRO 7’s accomplishment under Sinas,” De Leon added.
Just like Sinas, De Leon will run after policemen involved in illegal activities. “I’m warning police scalawags in my area of jurisdiction, you have no place in the police organization,” De Leon said.
Sinas said the NCRPO and the PRO 7 will work together closely in the anti-illegal drug campaign.
“We will ask the higher ups that we will have a cross boundary check. We have to cut the line because what is happening is that illegal drugs are being bought in NCR and sold in the provinces,” Sinas said. (Calvin D. Cordova)
