SENIOR Superintendent William Señoron, who was relieved from his post as acting director of Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office Monday, has been warned of the allegations identifying him as a protector of illegal drug trade before he was issued a relief order.
This was stated by Chief Superintendent Renato Gumban, director of Police Regional Office (PRO) in Negros Island Region (NIR), as he dismissed reports that he was pressured by Moises Padilla Mayor Magdaleño Pena to order the relief of Señoron and five other police officers.
“There was already information before linking their names to illegal drug operations, but nobody was courageous enough to implicate them in a sworn affidavit. This time Ricky Serenio did,” Gumban said in a telephone interview with reporters Tuesday.
He added that there is a standing order from the Philippine National Police headquarters to relieve any police official implicated in the illegal drug trade.
“It’s an SOP (standard operating procedure),” Gumban said.
The five others relieved were Superintendent Edel Jose Manzano, chief of Cadiz City Police Station; Superintendent Antonietto Cañete of PRO-NIR; Chief Inspector Edison Garcia of Regional Intelligence Division; Superintendent Placido Gentoleo of Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO); and Police Officer 1 Eric Alcosaba of BCPO Police Station 7.
All five were ordered to report to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit while Alcosaba was transferred to the Regional Public Safety Battalion.
Gumban said that Señoron’s name has been included in the list of alleged drug protectors even when he was still assigned at the Regional Intelligence Unit.
Serenio’s affidavit was confirmed by the PNP Intelligence and 95 percent of it is true, he added. Señoron, however, has repeatedly denied the allegations.
Gumban also said that Señoron and the five others relieved are on a “floating” status while their cases are being investigated by the Internal Affairs Service.
Señoron, who served as Noccpo chief for 15 months, said in a press conference Tuesday that the PRO-NIR should conduct a reliable and speedy investigation on his alleged involvement in illegal drug trade.
Serenio accused Señoron of receiving P200,000 from the “Berya” drug group, based on his first sworn statement, and P1.2 million, based on his supplemental affidavit.
Forty policemen, who were already relieved from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental, were also identified by Serenio as recipients of weekly drug protection money.
Señoron said he does not have a personal association with Serenio, but he released to the media an audio clip of his conversation with Serenio when the latter negotiated his surrender with the police on December 6, 2016.
After their conversation, Serenio did not show up, and then on January, he was presented to the media after his apprehension in Talisay City, he added.
Señoron said the audio clip was forwarded to the Philippine National Police headquarters, adding that if he will be accused of violating the Anti-wiretapping Law, he is willing to face the charges as long as the truth comes out.
The former Nocppo director said the investigation should be based on facts and should be done accordingly so that his “agony” will end as soon as possible.
“I still believe in the good of our justice system,” Señoron added.
Still, Señoron said that he is willing to shoot himself in front of the PRO-NIR headquarters if the investigation will find him guilty.
“I’ve been in the service for more than 30 years and being dragged into this drug issue is humiliating,” he added. “I am not a bad policeman.”
Señoron said he does not question the wisdom of Gumban, but stressed that the regional office should have given him respect.
“I will not contest the procedure of my relief but they should have called me to discuss the issue instead of immediately releasing the order,” he added.
Señoron said he does not believe that his relief was politically-motivated even though he suspects that Mayor Peña, who is also a consultant of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, have something to do with it.
Señoron said he was the one who built the intelligence report that led to the recovery of high-powered firearms in a raid at Peña’s ancestral house in Pulupandan town in May 2013 when he was still the town mayor.
Peña said he will issue a statement soon.
