BORONGAN, Eastern
Samar – The simple turn over ceremony of the Eastern Samar Provincial
PNP command Friday of last week Nov. 3, 2006, was rather emotional for
the outgoing provincial director.
PSSupt. Pio Laher
Manito (DSC) formally turned over the provincial PNP command of
Eastern Samar to PSupt. Efren Fajardo Lagmay from the Ilocos region
whose recent assignment was Regional Service Officer of PNP RO8 and a
former Quezon City
police officer.
PSupt. Lagmay strongly
expressed his priority to continue the campaign against illegal drug.
“This is with no compromise” Lagmay declared.
Manito served the
province of Eastern Samar for more than 2 years as Provincial Director
of the PNP and was promoted to Police Senior Superintendent or full
pledge Colonel during his stint as PD of the province. “This made my
assignment in Eastern Samar very memorable” Manito tearfully declared.
Speaking through and
in between quotations which he emotionally explained, Manito accepted
the change of assignment as part of his career as police officer and
servant of the public. His attachment to work and people he worked
with made him very sentimental, “not so much with the achievements
it’s just part of my job” he added.
According to Mr.
Joseph Alan Limbauan the provincial administrator, before Manito
became the PD, illegal drugs were rampant. It was for that reason
Governor Evardone choose Manito to head the PPO to minimize if not put
an end to operations of illegal drugs.
Limbauan described
Manito’s toughness as loyalty to work. In fact he (Limbauan) said,
Manito will pull out police officer and assign to another town when
necessity calls, without informing the local chief executive. This was
confirmed by the later in a telephone interview. “Possible amo ine an
rason kay ano nga mayda mga mayors nga naderi ha akon and even moved
to replace me as PPO (Provincial Police Office) chief” Manito alleged.
“I did not violate any law when I did the reassignment of the men
under me, it was necessary and their expertise were practiced where it
was needed” the former PPO chief squarely answered.
His (Manito) good
records in fighting against illegal drugs operations in the region and
being highly recommended by then RD Coloma, has made him the choice of
the chief executive.
Records show that
cases related to illegal drugs and its operation declined in Eastern
Samar and was awarded the best PPO in the region in the year 2004.
However the series of
more or less ten counts of unsolved extrajudicial killings seemed too
deep to investigate and continuous refusal of relatives of the victims
to cooperate and absence of witnesses made it doubly difficult
according to the former Eastern Samar PPO chief. “We did try our best”
he retorted “I trust my successor that he will continue the fight
against any illegal activity and sustain peace and order of the
province” Manito added.
“I am leaving with an
open door that anytime the people with whom I have worked with need my
help and services, gladly will I accept and hope too that when I visit
the province I will find an open heart and mind and even arms to
welcome me”, Manito concluded.
