The Philippine National Police (PNP) today announced that the chief of Negros Oriental’s police force has been relieved amid a recent string of grisly killings in the province.
PNP spokesman Col. Bernard Banac said in a statement that Negros Oriental Police Provincial Director Col. Raul Tacaca has been relieved to give way to an investigation into possible lapses his office committed that may have led to the deaths.
Police Regional Office 7 Brigadier General Debold Sinas was assigned as the officer-in-charge in Negros Oriental’s police force to temporarily replace Tacaca, reported GMA News.
This comes after the back-to-back deaths of 15 people in Negros Oriental from July 18 to 26, reported Rappler. Among those killed were former Ayungon town mayor Edsel Enardecido and his cousin Leo Enardicido, both of whom were shot dead by an unknown gunman right inside the former’s home on Saturday.
Other victims include lawyer Anthony Trinidad, who was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Guihulngan City on Tuesday last week, and Canlaon City Councilor Ramon Jalandoni, who was shot dead in his house in the village of Panubigan on Saturday.
These deaths led the PNP to deploy 300 Special Action Force commandos to Negros Oriental and its neighboring province Negros Occidental on Monday, reported ABS-CBN News. The commandos were sent to help the local police force fight “criminal elements and dissident terrorists,” according to PNP chief General Oscar Albayalde.
Albayalde said that they are looking into the possibility that communist rebels are behind the string of killings, reported Sun Star Manila.
Despite the situation, however, spokesman Banac said everything remains under control.
“We assure the public that the peace and order situation in Negros Oriental is under control and our police units there remain on full alert to prevent the occurrence of crimes,” he said.
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