Dumanjug police chief to be replaced next week

Senior Insp. Arvi Arbuis (left) presents the three suspects in the strafing incident involving a Liberal Party (LP) candidate’s vehicle. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

SENIOR Insp. Arvi Arbuis will step down from his post as the acting chief of the Dumanjug police next week.

Arbuis said that on December 16, Insp. Julius Ompad will replace him as the chief of police after Ompad was chosen by Dumanjug Mayor Nelson Garcia as his replacement.

This developed after  Garcia requested for the police officer’s relief last week for allegedly siding with Garcia’s political foe, Vice Mayor Efren Gica in an incident which arose from the strafing of a Liberal Party candidate’s vehicle.

Senior Supt. Noel Gillamac, provincial director of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, confirmed in an earlier interview that Ompad was in the shortlist of police officers to replace Arbuis that Gillamac sent to Mayor Garcia.

Gillamac also said Arbuis will also be investigated after he (Gillamac) received reports that the three arrested suspects in the strafing incident were allegedly maltreated.

Pressure against Arbuis built up after his investigation in the December 4 strafing incident led to the Ronda shootout and the death of two men, one of whom was a barangay councilman who was an ally of Mayor Garcia. This also led to the arrest of the three suspects in the strafing incident.

Arbuis also denied that the shootout was a rubout as earlier claimed by a political party, but that it was a police hot pursuit operation.

Arbuis said he would first finish some documents related to the strafing incident before he could leave his office in Dumanjug town.