North Cotabato police director relieved, Senior Supt. Briones comes in

KORONADAL CITY - Senior Supt. Jose Briones, currently the Police Regional Office 12 chief of directorial staff, has been named acting police provincial director of North Cotabato after PNP Director Gen. Eduardo Marquez relieved Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum.Briones once served as North Cotabato police provincial director.The relief of Tagum came after the bloody dispersal of farmers begging for rice in Kidapawan City that left three farmers killed and scores wounded, both protesters and police officers. Marquez told national mediareporters in Camp Crame that relief of police officials is a regular and normal police procedures.Tagum's relief took effect on Wednesday. and//us-ads.openx.net/w/1.0/rr?ts=1fHJpZD0wYTkzODhiYS1hNjk4LTRlOGYtOTE0ZC03MzUyMzNmZDk5YjR8cnQ9MTQ2MDAyOTI2N3xhdWlkPTUzODIwMDk5MnxhdW09RE1JRC5XRUJ8c2lkPTUzNzIzMjgzMnxwdWI9NzY0NTZ8cGM9VVNEfHJhaWQ9MzFlMjIyOWItMjk3MC00ZTQ5LWIyOGQtNzVmNWY2MzI1NGJlfHVyPXNTbGhSNkYxUTY and//us-ads.openx.net/w/1.0/rr?ts=1fHJpZD1jMWExNjhiNy0yMWUzLTRlOWYtYWQ0Zi00OTYxODQ0ZDNhYzl8cnQ9MTQ2MDAyOTI3MHxhdWlkPTUzODIyODI1N3xhdW09RE1JRC5XRUJ8c2lkPTUzNzIzMjgzMnxwdWI9NzY0NTZ8cGM9VVNEfHJhaWQ9YTNlYTQ3MmYtMjBhMC00OWNkLWFmODAtZWQ1NmEwNzQ3MmQ5fHVyPWV5VjR5VHdJSFc Tagum led the police officers, as top cop commander in that situation, in dispersing the protesting farmers. Marquez said initial investigation showed the police on the ground fired guns, and wounded or killed the farmers. Some (police) personnel deployed in the law enforcement operation fired their weapons,” Marquez told reporters in Camp Crame,adding he is yet to receive the probe team reports as to why guns were fired.During a Senate inquiryin Davao City, North Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza denied she ordered the police to disperse the protesting farmers.She told senators that the police acted on their own in breaking the barricade in Kidapawan highway.