Top officials assure: Police apolitical, non-partisan

GARBO IN ARGAO: Retired police official Marcelo Garbo (seated) was seen during the Liberal Party mass in Argao parish church with Gov Hilario Davide and Vice Gov Agnes Magpale before the kick-off campaign caravan. (CDN PHOTO/LUITO TECSON)

Top police officials yesterday assured all active officers and men in Central Visayas will stay non-partisan amid fears that some generals were working for the administration’s Liberal Party.

“I want to emphasize that the PNP will remain apolitical, non-partisan, and impartial, especially with the elections and we would like to keep it that way,” said Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., regional director of the Police Regional Office Central Visayas (PRO-7).

Senior Supt. Clifford Gairanod, Cebu Provincial Police Office director, also assured that the police force “remains apolitical” and everybody is free to see him at his office.

“We are public officers and we serve the public so everybody is welcome to come to our office,” he said in a separate interview.
Comendador and Gairanod were reacting to a full-page newspaper advertisement offering a P20,000 reward for photos of retired general Marcelo  Garbo Jr. and active police officers on the campaign trail for LP.

“I think that is already below the belt, that is purely speculative on their part. But otherwise, it is a fair warning to our policemen that they should stay apolitical and impartial,” Comendador said. The ad was placed by the Duterte-Garcia legal team, with Duterte campaign coordinator Rex Fernandez as head.

Comendador said the advertisement put the police organization in a very compromising position with all the assumptions that Garbo can influence the May 9 polls through his connections with the PNP, especially in Central Visayas.

“Reading this one (advertisement), there is no factual basis to associate the PNP and this is merely speculative,” Comendador said.

Gairanod said he does not see the need to disassociate himself from Garbo, who was his superior as PRO-7 chief for four years..

“Di man ibig sabihin na porke’t mag-usap ka ni General Garbo, politika ang pag-usapan. Pasabot ba na nga kon makigkita si Winston nako, biased ko?” he said.

Comendador, for his part, said he remained in contact with Garbo, but they don’t talk about the elections. “Perhaps, once a month lang ang among association but he had no special concerns like for the elections,” he said. Commendador added that they had no scheduled meetings with Garbo.

He said he would submit any of his men to an investigation if found to be involved in electioneering.

“Our policemen had been to many battles and wars. We have passed through various cases, our police force in Central Visayas should not be threatened like that,” he said.

Winston Garcia, chairman of One Cebu, said “personal and party friends” will pool funds for the reward. He declined to identify them.

“Our legal team is studying how we can widen our publicity. It is possible that we might even put up a billboard advertising the reward,” he said.
Garbo refused to answer calls and text messages yesterday.

One Cebu identified Garbo as “the one who sent hundreds of policemen in full battle gear to the Capitol building to implement the suspension of then governor Gwendolyn Garcia and harass her supporters in December 2012.” Winston said he doesn’t hold a grudge against Garbo, but said he wanted to make sure the retired general’s alleged “shenanigans” in 2013 won’t happen again.

Garbo was spotted during LP’s kick-off campaign caravan in Argao town recently.

LP standard-bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas, interviewed in Naga City yesterday, said Garbo is a private citizen who is free to do as he wishes. Garbo retired from the police last March 2.

“Wala akong alam sa pinaggagawa niya. Since he is a private citizen, malaya siyang pumunta kahit saan (I don’t know anything about his activities.

Since he is a private citizen, he is free to go anywhere),” Roxas said.

Gov. Hilario Davide III said Garbo was in Argao because he is a good friend. He said Garbo is a private citizen and can campaign for or meet with anybody, including active police officials.

“I don’t see any complication there. Maybe they (police officers) are his friends,” Davide said.

“He (Garbo) can campaign for any candidate whom he chooses to support. I know that he is for Mar Roxas,” he added.

The paid print advertisement alleged that Garbo is a “political operator” for LP.