Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
President Benigno Aquino III on Friday confirmed that Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge (OIC) Leonardo Espina has submitted his resignation.
The President confirmed Espina’s resignation in an ambush interview with reporters in Tarlac City.
Aquino, however, said he cannot accept Espina’s resignation until he finds a replacement. He said he already has some names in mind.
“He did submit his resignation and the acceptance is pending on selecting his replacement. And as of this time, we will be conducting various interviews and checks on the various candidates,” Aquino said.
He said Espina, who was appointed as OIC after former PNP chief Alan Purisima was suspended in December last year due to graft charges, is no longer in the running for the position of PNP chief, noting that he will be retiring in July 2015.
“Director Espina is a very honorable person and he loves the institution and he loves the service and he loves the country. He will turn 56, if I’m not mistaken, by July. So pag nag-assume siya as the acting director general, guaranteed within this year we have two acting generals at yung transition between the two does not do the service any good,” he explained.
“[If] he assumes today, he has three months to serve. Pag nag-three months siya may turnover na naman to the next guy who replaces him, and that’s disrupting to the service,” Aquino added. “And to that basis nga, General Espina has decided to resign.”
Espina was recently promoted to deputy chief for administration, the second in command at the PNP. Before that, he was deputy chief of operations, the third in command.
The President has been criticized for supposedly leaving Espina out of the loop in the January 25 Mamasapano mission while allowing Purisima to be involved in the operation, which ended in the deaths of 44 PNP Special Action Force (SAF) troopers. —with reports from Joanna Tacason, ABS-CBN News; Junry Hidalgo, dzMM
This article has been re-published with permission from ABS-CBNnews.com.
