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THE Philippine National Police will look into allegations of a
P400-million bribe offer to a local executive, and a case of a
violent confrontation involving a representative of a Korean
industrial company in Northern Mindanao.
This developed as PNP Chief, Director General
Avelino Razon Jr., created Task Force “TAGOVILL,” following an
order from Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno for
the police to also dig deeper into peace and order issues surrounding
the operation of the Hanjin Heavy Industries Corporation in Misamis
Oriental.
Razon tapped as members of the Task Force
Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director, Chief
Supt. Raul Castañeda, Senior Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel, Police
Director Jefferson Soriano, director for Investigation and Detective
Management (DIDM) and heads of the regional legal service of the
CIDG and DIDM.
Hanjin is the proponent of the $2-billion
Mindanao Training Center Project that is being put up in the
municipalities of Tagoloan and Villanueva in Misamis Oriental. The
project is expected to generate some 45,000 jobs in Northern
Mindanao.
Razon said Task Force TAGOVILL would investigate
allegations of Mayor Paulino Emano of Tagoloan, who claimed that he
was offered P400 million in contracts by officials of Hanjin to
allow the continued operation of the shipbuilding facility in the
town.
The national police chief also ordered the
relief of the Chief of Police of Tagaloan, Chief Inspector Claudio
Mariquit; and the Chief of Police of Villanueva, Senior Inspector
Nannette Odchigue, to ensure a fair and impartial investigation. A
team from the Regional Mobile Group of Region 10 was deployed to
secure the Hanjin facility and prevent further untoward incidents.
Mayor Emano earlier ordered Hanjin to stop its
operations after the company failed to present an Environmental
Compliance Certificate and a municipal building permit.
Hanjin officials, on the other hand, thru a
letter-complaint filed before the office of Misamis Oriental
Governor Oscar Moreno, said one of its representatives was
manhandled and roughed-up by a group of individuals, one of whom was
later identified as a municipal employee from the mayor’s office.
In the same letter, the Korean industrial firm
also complained of alleged harassment of its employees by municipal
officials.
-- Maricel V. Cruz
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