Sto. Tomas town police chief booted out

By October 1, 2019Headlines, News

THE acting police chief of Sto. Tomas Town was relieved following the action taken by the municipal council declaring him persona non grata and requested for his transfer.

Mayor Timoteo Villar III told the KBP Forum that P/Captain Freddie Lorenzo has been relieved from his post effective Sept. 20 upon the order of Police Brig. Gen. Joel Orduña, regional director, who was furnished a copy of the resolution of the Sangguniang Bayan (SB).

Unanimously approved on Sept. 17 was Resolution No. 86, it said, the Sangguniang Bayan had received reports from barangay officials about activities of Lorenzo “that caused problems in our municipality”.

The resolution, jointly sponsored by Councilors Garry Coloma and Jonathan Castañaga, pointed out that while the Philippine National Police (PNP) is in-charge of enforcing laws, but Lorenzo failed to coordinate and inform the local officials of all operations and undertakings of the police force.

Lorenzo has been temporarily assigned at the Holding Unit of the provincial police camp. He has been replaced by P/Captain Arnulfo Rigos III.

Villar said Lorenzo had been reportedly conducting raids without coordinating with the local government.

Villar said he, too, was a victim of Lorenzo’s false reports citing in particular the latter’s July 30, 2019 report that said the “mayor surrendered three high-powered firearms, a machine gun, rifle and semi-automatic rifle with 208 rounds of assorted ammunition and four magazines, at the police station.”

“How can I surrender (these firearms) when they were already in the police possession because I had represented my uncle, the late secretary Antonio A. Villar Jr., for the donation of said firearms to the police station?” Villar said.

He showed a deed of donation dated March 26, 2019 for the listed guns received by Lorenzo’s predecessor, P/Senior Inspector Peter Paul Sison.

He said the late Sec. Villar had the guns when he was still in service because of his campaign against smugglers, as then chief of the Presidential Anti Smuggling Group, and against drug syndicates as chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board. He died on on March 1 this year.

Villar said he will ask the police to correct Lorenzo’s false report.

Lorenzo refused to comment on the charges and said he will air his side in the proper forum. (PhilStar Wire Service)

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