NAGA CITY -- Speaking in unison, officers of the Bicol regional chapter of the powerful Philippine Councilors League (PCL) last Saturday drafted and passed a resolution calling for the immediate relief of P/SSupt Balligi Agnanayon Tira, the OIC Regional Director of PNP Regional Command of Region V.

        The strongly-worded Board Resolution No. 001-2008 cited P/SSupt. Tira’s “inept leadership … marked by irresponsible reassignment orders of police officers assigned in cities and municipalities resulting in the depletion of much needed personnel at the already undermanned police stations.”

        The resolution came during the 2nd regular session of Bicol-PCL presided over by its newly-elected president, Naga City Councilor John G. Bongat at the Boardroom, Avenue Plaza Hotel here last Saturday, Jan.19.

        It called upon the PNP National Command and the DILG Secretary to immediately replace Tira due to the “present peace and order problems being encountered by the cities and municipalities and the local PNP organizations in the Bicol region.”

        On a joint and collective motion, the Bicol councillors said the consensus during the Board Meeting after the assessment of the prevailing peace and order situation in the region was to call for a new leadership in the PNP regional command that could bring stability and responsible leadership.

        They contended that in his capacity as officer-in-charge, Tira has no authority to order the reassignment of police personnel and even appointing new PNP chiefs without the approval of and consultations first made with the city and municipal mayors concerned.

        “It has been noted that the sudden reassignment of a considerable number of police officers, particularly in Naga City and other municipalities in the region by P/SSupt Balligi A. Tira for no justifiable reason is a setback in the implementation of various peace and order programs of LGUs, paralyzing to a certain extent crime prevention and control efforts of the local police organization,” the resolution stated.

        Spawning controversy and protest from city hall and the general public, Tira middle of last year ordered the reassignment of 14 police officers of Naga City for no clear reason.

        In an open letter to the President, representatives of the various sectors of the city blamed Tira for the crippling of the city’s anti-crime efforts that led to the deteriorating peace and order situation in the city such that in a span of six months, six unsolved high profile crimes against persons and property had been recorded in Naga City, the highest in years.

        Another reason cited in calling for Tira’s relief is the latter’s alleged lack of courtesy and respect for the chief executive of various LGUs, which, according to the local legislators is a stance counter-productive to the peace and order promotion efforts of the LGUs.

        The PCL also blamed Tira and the regional command for the recurring and continuous jueteng operation in various parts of the region, “putting to serious question the sincerity and resolve of the regional police organization to put a stop to the operation of the illegal numbers game.”

        It is urgent and necessary that a new PNP Regional Director be assigned in Bicol to help LGUs promote efficient and effective governance, particularly in the field of peace and order, the resolution stressed.