Col. Raul S. Tacaca was relieved from his post as Negros Oriental provincial police director.
Staff Master Sergeant Edilberto Euraoba III, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) spokesperson, confirmed this late Wednesday afternoon, but no other details are available yet.
He said they only knew of Tacaca’s relief through national media.
Tacaca has not received an official order regarding his relief, but he was reportedly already packing up.
Media reports said Philippine National Police chief, Gen. Oscar S. Albayalde, has ordered Tacaca’s relief “to give way for an impartial investigation” referring to the spate of killings in Negros Oriental.
Four police personnel were tortured and killed allegedly by communist New People’s Army (NPA) members in Sitio Ilaya Yamot, Barangay Mabato in Ayungon town last July 18.
Immediately after that, a series of shooting incidents were recorded by the police from July 23 to 29, with 16 deaths reported.
Not all of the killings were linked to the NPA, however, as Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office-7, disclosed this past weekend that several other motives are being eyed by investigators.
So far, not one of the cases has been solved as yet, Police Maj. Jul Jamiri, deputy chief of NOPPO’s Provincial Operations and Planning Branch, said earlier.
Albayalde has designated Col. Angelito Dumangeng, Deputy Regional Director for Operations of PRO-7, as concurrent OIC of NOPPO.
At the same, Albayalde also ordered the PNP’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management under Police Maj. Gen. Elmo Sarona to spearhead the investigation on the series of killings in Negros Oriental. (Mary Judaline Partlow via NDB)