By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/Philippine News Agency
MANILA — Newly-appointed Eastern Police District (EPD) director, Brig. Gen. Nolasco Bathan, on Wednesday vowed to intensify internal cleansing among its ranks.
“I will continue the internal cleansing program among members of the uniformed service. We must be the most disciplined citizens of the country because our concern is peace and order. Whoever errs, let the axe fall (on them),” Bathan told reporters shortly after the turn-over ceremony at the EPD headquarters in Pasig City.
Bathan said he also plans to pay a courtesy call and cooperate with the local chief executives of the cities of Pasig, Mandaluyong, Marikina and San Juan, all under his area of jurisdiction.
“Of course, I will take with me my experience as a police official. I was assigned in Tarlac and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon). If there are good practices there that need to be duplicated here at EPD, we will do it,” Bathan said.
Bathan, formerly Deputy Regional Director for Administration of the Police Regional Office 11 (Davao Region), replaced Brig. Gen. Christopher Tambungan, who was administratively relieved from his post for allegedly assaulting a female police officer last month.
Past assignments of Bathan include provincial director of Samar, officer-in-charge of the Pasay City police, and deputy regional director for operations in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon). He was promoted to one-star rank, or Brigadier General, in December last year.
Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, led the turnover ceremony and instructed all police directors, commanders, and chiefs of units and offices to properly and constantly supervise their personnel to maintain discipline and order within the ranks and ensure their compliance with all lawful orders, policies, rules and regulations.
“Let us discipline our personnel based on protocols at guidelines. We should never usurp our power and just like what I have said in my speech earlier, personnel who are lower in rank comprise around 80 percent of the organization, especially Patrolmen and Corporals. These are the ones facing complaints and challenges and they are more likely to be affected by the internal cleansing. But if they did something good, let’s protect them and not abuse them” Eleazar told reporters after the ceremony.
Asked on the update on the investigation on Tambungan’s case, Eleazar said the pre-charge investigation is ongoing and the former will be given a chance to explain his side on the complaints filed against him.
“We will know the result of the pre-charge evaluation in a few days or weeks. We have to ask clearance from the Office of the President to pursue the administrative case as he is an officer who is appointed by the President. He is in a third level position,” the Metro Manila top cop said.
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