By Joann Santiago
MANILA, Feb. 5 (PNA) — A Malacanang official said on Thursday that naming a permanent head for the Philippine National Police (PNP) at this time is not possible because of tenure requirements, among other factors.
In a press briefing at the Palace, Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said there are many factors to be considered such as service cycles and age requirements.
He assured the public that President Benigno S. Aquino III is looking at the big picture in deciding on the PNP’s leadership.
He noted that the Chief Executive had earlier said that he fully supports and trusts the police force and that its officer-in-charge, Deputy Director-General Leonardo Espina, has the leeway to make decisions.
”Wala namang kabawasan ‘yon doon sa kanyang kapasidad o kung ano ‘yung mga puwede niyang gawin (Being the OIC does not lessen his (Espina’s) capacity or whatever he wants to do),” Coloma added.
Calls for the appointment of a new PNP chief came out after it was reported that suspended PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima was at the helm of the Special Action Force (SAF) operations in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015.
Such operations claimed the lives of 44 members of the elite force in what the government earlier said was a “misencounter” with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
The commandos were on a mission to serve the warrants of arrest and capture Malaysian Zulkipli bin Hir, a.k.a. Marwan, and Filipino Abdul Basit USman, reportedly bomb experts who are linked with the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah and who are being hunted by the United States.
Asked whether this issue was among the topics discussed during the reported emergency meeting of the Cabinet’s Security Cluster at the Palace Thursday, Coloma clarified that there was no emergency meeting.
”Hindi po totoo ‘yon (It was not true),” he said.
He explained that it was Secretary to the Cabinet Jose Almendras who called the Cabinet members as part of his job as head of the Cabinet Secretariat and after noting that there were several of them who were at Malacanang during the day.
He said the meeting was held to get updates from the Cabinet members regarding their respective assignments.
”At yaman din lamang at may bilang ng mga Gabinete na nandirito, ipinagbigay-alam din niya sa Pangulo na nandirito ‘yung mga miyembro ng Gabinete pero wala pong pormal na Cabinet meeting na naganap ngayong hapon (And since there were a number of them who were present here, he (Almendras) informed the President that members of his Cabinet were here but there was no formal Cabinet meeting this afternoon),” he added. (PNA)