CDO police chief, station commander sacked over grenade blast

The police director of Cagayan de Oro and a station commander there have been ordered relieved following the grenade blast in the city that injured eight people.   Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga, spokesperson of the Philippine National Police in Region 10, said Cagayan de Oro police chief Senior Superintendent Gerardo Rosales and Chief Inspector Lemuel Gonda were ordered relieved pending results of an investigation.   Cariaga said PNP Region 10 director Chief Superintendent Gil Hitosis ordered Rosales and Gonda be investigated for allegedly failing to prevent two bomb explosions in the city in a span of two months.   “Nagbigay na kasi ng directive ang regional director noon na dapat mag-adjust na sila ng deployment para ‘di na maulit ‘yung bombing last October 11. In a span of two months, nagkaroon ulit ng incident, ‘yun ang dahilan kaya sila na-relieve,” Cariaga told GMA News Online in a phone interview.   Two people were killed in the October 11 blast, which occurred near a hotel.   “Iniimbestigahan na ngayon kung nagkaroon sila ng lapses,” Cariaga said.   Police Superintendent Antonio Montalba was named officer-in-charge while Rosales is under investigation.   On Wednesday morning, a grenade exploded near the PNP’s Camp Vicente Alagar and Global Sun Finance Corp., a lending company.   Cariaga said a special investigation task force has been created on Thursday to probe the incident.   “Hawak na ng task force ‘yung mga ebidensya at pangalan ng mga witnesses. They are collecting the names of the debtors na kinasuhan ng company,” he said. — Rouchelle Dinglasan/KBK, GMA News