PHILIPPINE National Police chief, General Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan yesterday reorganized the leadership of four PNP Directorates for Integrated Police Operations or PNP-DIPOs which will earn the officials their 3rd-star.
Named to new posts were Major Gen. Dionardo B. Carlos, from DIPO Southern Luzon to DIPO-Visayas; Maj. Gen. Jose Chiquito M. Malayo as DIPO-Western Mindanao director; Brigadier Gen. Manuel M. Abu as DIPO-Southern Luzon director; and Brig. Gen. Ferdinand B. Daway as DIPO-Northern Luzon director.
The four along with DIPO-Eastern Mindanao director, Major Gen. Arnel B. Escobal will oversee the operations of regional and provincial mobile forces in their respective areas.
Cascolan said the movement was also premised on the familiarity of the four to their field assignments.
He cited Maj. Gen. Carlos of Philippine Military Academy Class 1988 who was moved to DIPO-Visayas since he used to be a former Police Regional Office 8 director in Eastern Visayas and also used to be assigned with the PRO7 in Central Visayas.
Abu of PMA Class 1989 who used to be the Bangsamoro Administrative Region police head was first named as DIPO-Visayas director but was designated as DIPO-Southern Luzon since he knows the region very well, he being a native of Batangas.
PNP spokesman, Colonel Ysmael S. Yu said that under the PNP Sustainable Development Plan, the PNP chief tapped the DIPOs to prepare the Implementing Rule and Regulations to operationalize new developments in terms of their expanded functions in internal security operations.
“We envision this development for our DIPOs as one of our frontl-ine units in peace and order functions, particularly our crusade against communist insurgents and other threat groups in far-flung areas across the country,”Gen. Cascolan said.
Last month, the top cop ordered the realignment of regional and provincial maneuver units to be placed under the operational control of the PNP-DIPOs to fill-up bigger functions in sustaining internal security operations.
Yu said that the PNP-DIPOs will also assume bigger roles in investigation of major crime and terrorism incidents that cross jurisdictions of Police Regional Offices.
The PNP also eyes to fast-track the decongestion and relocation plans for PNP-DIPO offices in strategic areas to allow closer supervision of regional and provincial mobile forces.
The five PNP-DIPOs were activated in 2009 to help direct and conduct an integrated anti-criminality, internal security and counter-terrorism operations in the five clustered areas.
Already, the National Police Commission has signed a resolution approving the upgrading of the rank of the directors of the five DIPO directors from Major General to Lieutenant General.
As such, the heads of the PNP-DIPOs for Western and Eastern Mindanao, Northern and Southern Luzon and Visayas will be getting their 3rd-star making them at par with the three members of the PNP Command Group or the PNP Deputy Chief for Administration, Deputy Chief for Operations and PNP Chief Directorial Staff.
On the other hand, the Deputy Directors of the five DIPOs will be promoted to the rank of Major General from Brigadier General while their Executive Officers will be getting the one-star rank.
The new prescribed ranks of the PNP-DIPO officials however must be in accordance with existing qualification standards prescribed by the Napolcom.
The Napolcom resolution was signed last October 7 by Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año who is also the concurrent Napolcom chairman; Vice-Chairman Attorney Rogelio T. Casurao and Commissioners Felizardo M. Serapio Jr., Zenonida F. Brosas, Atty. Job M. Mangente and PNP chief, General Camilo Pancratius P. Cascolan.
The copy of the resolution was forward to the Department of Budget and Management for reference since the upgraded ranks will automatically carries a salary adjustment.
The resolution was made amid Gen. Cascolan’s move to fully utilize the five PNP-DIPOs in their fight against insurgency in the countryside in support to the Armed Forces.\
The resolution said that DIPOs are mandated to direct and supervise the conduct of inter-regional anti-criminality, counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations against lawless elements which transcend regional boundaries and provide a system for the promotion of regional socio-economic development.
Gen. Cascolan has ordered his DIPO commanders to strengthen their coordination and inter-operability with the different AFP operating units and exercise operational supervision over all PNP maneuver forces including the regional offices of the national support units during the conduct of inter-regional and/or joint operations with the military.
