CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY -- Newly-installed Philippine National (PNP) Police-10 regional director, Brig. Gen. Rolando Anduyan said he was surprised the PNP leadership assigned him to Northern Mindanao.
Anduyan, from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO), replaced Brig. Gen. Rafael Santiago as head of the PNP-10, in a ceremony at the Camp 1Lt. Vicente Alagar in Barangay Lapasan, this city, Thursday morning.
Before his present appointment, Anduyan used to be with the NCRPO’s Northern Police District which covers the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Anduyan said he did not expect that he would be assigned as the PNP-10 regional director.
“It was a very secretive selection process. But it was good to avoid the selection process to be influenced. I think the (PNP leadership) know who is capable and who is deserving,” he said.
In his acceptance speech, Anduyan told police officers in attendance that public service is king, not them, and that law enforcers must not abuse the power and authority given to them.
Asked if he will implement a reshuffling of top PNP-10 officers, Anduyan said he will not order a revamp in the near future.
“I will not order an immediate revamp. There should be due process. We need to see first what their level of capability is,” he added.
Santiago was not present during the turn-over ceremony but PNP-10 spokesperson, Lt. Col. Mardy Hortillosa said the outgoing regional director chose not to attend so he can pack his belongings in private.
In an interview, Hortillosa said Santiago was being called back to the PNP headquarters to face the administrative charges filed against him before the Office of the Ombudsman.
Of the four cases, three has been dismissed by the Ombudsman, he said, although Hortillosa did not specify what those cases were.
The only case Santiago is facing, Hortillosa said, is on the charges for failure to turn over the firearms when he was the provincial police chief of Zambales in 2012.
His relief came after he was ordered suspended for six months starting Oct. 21, 2019, PNP officer-in-charge, Lt. Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa said in an interview.
“He (Santiago) told me his remedy is to petition for an injunction that would revoke his suspension,” Hortillosa said, adding that once Santiago is cleared of the charges, it is likely that he can go back to the region. (PNA)
