Mayor welcomes Corpus: urges stepped up drive vs illegal gambling, guns
WELCOME WITH OPEN ARMS: Mayor Celso Lobregat shakes hands with PSSupt. Amador V. Corpus, newly-installed City Police OIC Director as a sign of welcome to the new police official, as Gen. Ver Arieta of the Regional Police Office-9 looks on. (JOEY BAUTISTA)
Mayor Celso Lobregat yesterday directed newly-installed City Police OIC Director PSSupt. Amador Corpuz to strengthen campaign against illegal gambling and to strictly enforce the gun ban in the city.
This, as he welcomed Col. Corpus to Zamboanga and expressed full support to the new official similar to the level of support that he has given to Corpus’ predecessors.
“We welcome you with open arms”, the mayor said in his keynote speech during installation rites yesterday morning at the City Police Office headquarters. In his speech he also listed down his instructions for the police official.
He urged the new police official to step up measures to curb illegal gambling activities in Zamboanga and make the city gambling-free. “Just like during the watch of Col. Yanga, number one priority was to keep Zamboanga City free of gamblers”.
The mayor stressed that the city has special concerns on peace and order and these include threats on terrorism, kidnapping and bombing which, he said, require close coordination between the police and the military’s Task Force Zamboanga. “There are also special concerns like illegal mining, please make sure that you catch all illegal miners”.
According to Lobregat Corpus’ assignment in Zamboanga City has advantages and disadvantages. “Being not from Mindanao, he will have to catch up on getting to know the terrain, culture and intricacies of Zamboanga City”, he said explaining that the city is multi-ethnic and multi-culture area and is a melting pot where officials from other provinces and municipalities have established residences.
“There are so many things happening in the city on an everyday basis and if it is difficult to be mayor, it is equally difficult to be a director of the City Police”, Lobregat told Corpus. “You will have to take guidance from the mayor because the mayor has operational control over the police—that is (provided) in the law”.
He likewise advised Corpus not to get into the crossfire as elections are forthcoming. “Be fair, don’t take sides and be neutral. From now until elections there will be certain sectors that will try to pit you and me, you have to handle this professionally”.
In terms of advantages, Lobregat said, Corpus, coming from outside of the city, can implement all laws without fear or favour having no debt of gratitude to anybody. “He can strictly implement the gun ban”.
He also pointed out the need for the new OIC director to learn chabacano, the reason why last Wednesday, he presented Corpus with the chabacano dictionary.
“We have been working closely with former police directors and police OIC directors in all matters even the assignment of station commanders and downloading of personnel from other areas”, the mayor asserted.
In his speech, the mayor also thanked Col. Yanga for exerting his best during his stint as OIC police director and even during the time of his mother, the late Mayor Maria Clara Lobregat, when he was the police director.
Col. Corpus takes over the post in lieu of Col. Jumli Sappal, who temporarily held the post for less than a month when Col. Yanga assumed his post at the Regional Police Office.
Also present during the turn over rites yesterday were District I Congresswoman Beng Climaco, representatives from the Regional Police Office, the business sector and other groups. (Sheila Covarrubias)