Treñas wants fearless, non-partisan city police director

BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO

ILOILO City – The next city police director must be professional, non-partisan, fearless and decisive, said Mayor Jerry Treñas.

The Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) Director, Senior Supt. Melvin Mongcal, is on sick leave. But Treñas has expressed the desire not to have him back anymore.

Mongcal’s leadership of the ICPO has been criticized for perceived partisanship. No less than Treñas himself has reminded city policemen many times to remain politically neutral, following reports that several of them received envelopes from former Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. last December. It was unclear what the envelopes contained.

Gonzalez is running for mayor. His son and namesake, Cong. Raul Jr., is seeking reelection against Treñas.

Mongcal, however, has insisted that he and his men do not engage in partisan activities.

In January, Treñas said, his children were harassed by a city policeman who served as a bodyguard of the elder Gonzalez.

Supt. Eugenio Espejo is currently serving as acting city police director. Treñas tasked him to solve some unsolved police cases in the city, one of which is the grenade blast on his bakeshop in Brgy. Dungon A, Jaro district.

Espejo vowed to do his best.

In February when Mongcal was on a two-week sick leave, the former mayor of Pulupandan, Negros Occidental, Luis Mondia, was gunned down in Jaro district. Then late last month, a grenade was lobbed at the bakeshop of Treñas. The mayor expressed frustration over how the police initially reacted to the blast.

“I want somebody who does not go on leave when incidents happen…this is too much,” Treñas said.

Mongcal said his doctor advised him to take a rest. The police officer refused to say what exactly ails him, but said his eyes need a checkup.

Treñas is leaving it up to the Philippine National Police’s higher command to pick the next ICPO director. His primary wish, though, is for the chosen one to be politically neutral./PN