While some netizens expressed elation with the relief request of Davao City Police Office (DCPO) acting City Director Col. Hansel Marantan, outgoing mayor and elected Vice Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte was expecting “chaos all over again” in Davao City with the latter’s exit as the city’s top cop.
During his exit call to the 20th City Council on Tuesday, Marantan confirmed that he filed a leave of absence and requested relief to Camp Crame citing health as the main reason for his leave.
Marantan added he will leave Davao City once Camp Crame approves his request.
“Chaos all over again, I’m sure they will not stop. Okay ra man, naanad nako. I’m used to it already. Parehas ana mutubag na pud tu ron, maghimo na pud na ug problema, pasagdi lang,” Duterte told the media in a press conference on Tuesday night when asked about his expectations with Marantan’s exit.
However, the mayor expressed optimism that all disruptions have endings and urged the Dabawenyos to continue to be resilient, vigilant, and stay united.
“Pero naay katapusan gyud ang tanan bisan pa ug maybe in the next two years, three years, more than that, naa gihapon katapusan ang tanan. Just be vigilant. We just have to stay united and vigilant,” Duterte said.
The mayor said he was not surprised with the shake-up in DCPO.
“Kung maalala nyo last year, they changed three city directors in a day without consulting me,” he said.
In July last year, DCPO changed its leadership thrice within a day.
Col. Richard Bad-ang, who was the personal choice of the mayor and just two months serving as DCPO director, was relieved and replaced by Col. Lito Patay.
On the day Col. Patay reported for work as “officer-in-charge” (OIC) of DCPO, the police officer was relieved before lunchtime. He was replaced in the afternoon by Col. Sherwin Butil, who was the head of the Regional Information and Communications Technology Management Division of the Police Regional Office 11 (PRO 11), as the new OIC.
However, in the evening PRO 11 announced that Marantan, who was the Internal Peace and Security officer of the Area Police Command for Southern Luzon, was designated as “acting city director” of DCPO.
All of the changes did not go through the City Mayor’s Office (CMO) while under the law the city mayor should be allowed to choose his preferred city director.
Duterte said that won’t happen in terms of choosing Marantan’s replacement.
“That’s impossible. They (administration) will never allow it. Like I said that is because of politics and this administration is against our family name,” he said.
The mayor also said that Marantan met him Tuesday afternoon after the latter’s exit call in the City Council.
“When Marantan was still here, he did okay. I wish him luck in his career and more power to him,” the mayor said.
