No officer has applied to replace Aganon yet

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .

IN the National Police, a vacancy occurs when a unit commander retires or finishes his maximum two-year tour of duty. But the situation in the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office is neither of the two cases.

Camp Alagar spokesman Lt. Col. Surki Sereñas yesterday said no officer has applied to be the replacement of city police chief Col. Nelson Aganon who is struggling for life in a hospital following a motorcycle accident while undergoing training at Camp Evangelista last week.

“The supposed vacancy was not anticipated. Technically, the post is not vacant,” Sereñas told the Gold Star Daily.

On Saturday, the chairman of the city council’s police committee, Councilor Romeo Calizo, called on Camp Alagar to immediately submit to Mayor Oscar Moreno a list of Aganon’s possible replacement, pointing out that even if the police director is discharged from the Polymedic Medical Plaza, it would still take time before he fully recovers.

Aganon was last reported to be in a coma after he nosedived while attempting a second motorcycle jump during a mandatory police training for officials — the motorcycle he was using slammed against his body, and he suffered a serious head trauma as a result of the impact of his fall.

Sereñas said no one has applied for the position of city police director clearly out of delicadeza.

He said, “It’s going to be in bad taste if someone applies for the position.”

Sereñas however said there are many qualified senior police officers in the event that the position is declared vacant.

Normally, according to Sereñas, those interested apply to the Senior Officers’ Promotion and Placement Board. But oftentimes, the police regional director names an officer-in-charge.

“But in order to become a full-fledged city director, an officer must be shortlisted and endorsed to the local chief executive,” he said.

Camp Alagar however has started discussing the situation in the Cocpo and about the likelihood of replacing Aganon during a command conference called by police regional director Brig. Gen. Rafael Santiago Jr..

“(Aganon is) still under induced coma. We need two weeks before we look for a replacement,” Sereñas said.

As of the moment, the Cocpo is being run by an officer-in-charge, Lt. Col. Reynante Reyes.

Sereñas said Camp Alagar was planning to effect a revamp that would affect Aganon and other key officials even before last week’s accident. He said Aganon was already up for replacement because he has already completed his two-year tour of duty in Cagayan de Oro.