By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan | Philippine News Agency
A total of 49 police officers assigned to the Bamban Municipal Police Station in Tarlac province have been relieved from their posts amid the investigation on illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGOs) in the town.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame, Quezon City Tuesday, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the affected police officers will be assigned to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO-Central Luzon).
Taking over the 49 are officers from PRO-3’s 1st and 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Companies stationed nearby Tarlac City and the towns of Concepcion and Capas.
“Sasailalim sila doon sa tinatawag nating focused reformation and reorientation for police officers, ‘yung tinatawag nating FORM diyan,” Fajardo said.
The FORM would be held at the PNP Training Service School for Values and Leadership in Subic, Zambales.
Fajardo said the town’s chief of police was relieved earlier following the March 13 raid by law enforcers on the POGO establishment Zun Yuan Technology Inc.
“If you may recall, this is not the first time that we relieved police officers and many of them are commanders. It’s not only our ordinary police officers who are involved in illegal activities, neglect of duty or serious irregularity in the performance of duty because we are also holding their immediate supervisors accountable, which include chiefs of police,” Fajardo said.
The Office of the Ombudsman had also imposed a six-month preventive suspension on Guo and two other municipal officials in connection with the graft charges filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The DILG alleged that Guo allowed POGOs to operate in the municipality.
The Ombudsman found sufficient grounds to suspend Guo, Edwin Ocampo, and Adennsusp Sigua “considering that there is strong evidence showing their guilt” on the charges of grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and gross neglect of duty.
Ocampo is with Bamban’s Municipal Business Permits and Licensing Office while Sigua is a municipal legal officer.
