LINGAYEN–The police provincial director is always smiling, but the members of the provincial board are not. Reason?

The board members feel they are being deliberately snubbed by Senior Supt. Percival Barba, who assumed post his post four months ago, noting that the latter has repeatedly failed to appear before the board in spite of the invitations extended to him.

Sixth District Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr., in a privilege speech Monday, expressed annoyance over Barba’s apparent rejection of the provincial board’s repeated invitation for him to attend one of their weekly sessions.

Bince said that in his 17-year stint as a provincial board member, this is the first time that a police provincial director did not immediately pay a courtesy call to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan even just for a formal introduction upon assumption of his post.

“What is one hour of his time to simply forge an acquaintance with us?” Bince told The PUNCH.

Barba, for his part, explained that he has been busy going around the 44 towns and four cities in the province to look into their situations and gather information that he can report to the board.

Barba, in a text message to The PUNCH, however, acknowledged that Bince was justified in giving him the “wake up” call and promised to finally pay a courtesy call on Monday.

Bince reminded the police official that that the board approves the budget for peace and order, and therefore, he said it is imperative that the police director and the board members hold a regular dialogue on how to improve security in the province.

Bince also said he wants to ask Barba’s about his recent statement to the media indicating his recommendation to arm the barangay tanods, following a controversial program of the provincial government arming barangay chairmen with shotguns. The program was funded with a P30- million budget approved by the provincial board in 2007.#

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