Kidapawan mayor to block relief of chief of police

KIDAPAWAN CITY - City Mayor Joseph Evangelista said it is likely that Superintendent Franklin Anito, currently the city police director, would be removed from office after two members of the Kidapawan City PNP tested positive for illegal drug use. Another police officer has refused to undergo a clarificatory drug test after he submitted a ‘highly questionable’ urine sample to operatives of the Cotabato Police Provincial Crime Laboratory on the day the mandatory drug test was conducted. Removing [Supt.] Anito as my chief of police is really unfair. Also, the PNP-12 should not break the protocol or at least show respect to the chief executive, if they, indeed have plans to remove him from the post,” he said. The mayor stressed it was Anito who requested a mandatory drug test on July 17 after reports reaching him that some of his men are using illegal drugs. True enough, two tested positive,” the mayor said dismissing the reports that the mandatory drug test had leaked. Immediately, these police officers, including Police Officer 2 Ricky Santos who refused a clarificatory drug test, were sent to the police regional headquarters in General Santos City while investigations are ongoing. If proven true, these cops would be slapped with criminal and administrative charges, he said. Evangelista explained he is happy with Anito’s performance as the city’s police director. I want a continuity of our security plan here. Colonel Anito laid down the plan. He authored such security plan, which was approved by the city’s Sanggunian ,” said Evangelista. Anito has been detailed as CoP of Kidapawan City on November 14, 2014. Under the PNP’s policy, a CoP can stay in his area of responsibility for two years. The mayor said wanted a copy of the report submitted to the Regional PNP Board. If Colonel Anito is under investigation, they [top police officers from provincial and regional headquarters] should have asked me. Is it not part of their protocol to, at least, inform me as the chief executive? Then all of a sudden, they will remove my chief from his post? I can’t allow it to happen just like that,” said the mayor. Chief Superintendent Lester Camba, regional PNP director for Central Mindanao, said the reports submitted to the PNP Regional Board cited three reasons for the possible relief of Anito. First, were the results of the mandatory drug test,” Camba said. He cited an order from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that the chief of police whose men are believed involved in any criminal activity, like illegal drugs, should be relieved from post. Second, Supt. Anito failed to, at least, minimize the proliferation of illegal gambling activities in his area-of-responsibility. And lastly, the local PNP, under his leadership, have not done to stop lewd shows in the city,” Camba said. Learning this, the mayor challenged the provincial and regional police office that, If indeed they are honest in their drive to rid local government units of chief of police with questionable integrity, they should not single out Colonel Anito. That would be very, very unfair to him, of course.”