LINGAYEN — Pangasinan Governor Victor E. Agbayani is seeking a direct and frank answer from PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao why Senior Supt. Alan Purisima was suddenly relieved as Police Provincial Director here.

Provincial Administrator Virgilio Solis explained that the governor was seeking clarification from Lomibao on the wisdom of relieving police provincial directors who have barely warmed their seats.

Purisma assumed as police provincial director of Pangasinan only in June last year.

Solis said Purisima had just laid out his plans and programs to nsure more stable peace in Pangasinan but before he can implement these, it was reported that he has been relieved.

Purisima formed Task Force Hagibis which is the response of the police in Pangasinan against killers and hold-up men who are sowing fear in various highways while committing crimes while riding on speeding motorcycles.

Just as members of Task Force Hagibis were about to graduate from their 38-day training on defensive motorcycle riding under the guidance of the Traffic Management Group, Purisima’s relief order came..

Solis said the governor believes this policy of frequent changes of police directors is not doing the service any good because programs and projects are not being sustained.

In an interview shortly after his relief, Purisima expressed hope that the next police provincial director of Pangasinan will maintain Task force ‘Hagibis’ and the existing website in the Internet of the Pangasinan Police which is the fastest means of communication between the provincial office and various place units in the field.

It was learned that Purisima was relieved because he failed to completely eradicate gambling machines called “hataw” and fruit games in the province which was validated by a PNP anti-gambling task force that raided some towns of the province.

Purisima earlier told newsmen they have been enforcing the campaign without let-up against all forms of gambling, particularly on “hataw” and fruit games.

There are more urgent priorities however that the PNP needs to attend and yet they have only few available manpower to tap, he stressed.

He believes that if they over-concentrated on running after operators of gambling machines, they may not have enough men to tap to respond to other police duties, especially in case of emergencies.

Purisima was replaced in acting capacity by his deputy for operations Supt. Alberto Vinluan.

Solis learned that officials from Camp Crame are still deliberating on names of three qualified police officers to be recommended to Gov. Agbayani who will pick from among them the new police provincial director of Pangasinan.