Slain SPO1 Adonis Dumpit was reassigned to Bohol from Cebu City, in what was supposed to be his last year as cop before retiring, due to complaints that he was involved in electioneering during the May village and youth council elections, while police officers were expected to maintain impartiality throughout the campaign period and the polls.
According to Bohol Provincial Police Office (BPPO) chief Senior Supt. Angeles Geñorga, it was former Central Visayas police director Chief Supt. Robert Quenery who ordered the transfer of Dumpit for allegedly campaigning for candidates during the election period in Cebu City last May.
“He was reassigned here for reason of electioneering during the May election. There was a note from then-General Quenery, the regional director of Police Regional Office-7, assigning Dumpit to Bohol because of the complaint in Cebu City. He was accompanying barangay captain candidates and joining the campaigns,” said Geñorga.
Geñorga, speaking before the Provincial Peace and Order Council and Provincial Anti-Drug Abuse Council at the Governor’s Mansion on Monday, clarified that the multi-awarded but controversial Dumpit was not transferred by the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 due to involvement in the illegal drug trade.
Dumpit was transferred to Bohol early in June, and was shortly after placed under surveillance by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the police due to allegations of being a high-level drug protector.
Dumpit was first assigned to the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit of the PRO-7 after he was released from the Leyte Regional Prison in Abuyog, Leyte in 2016. He was incarcerated after he was convicted of homicide for shooting dead 17-year-old robbery suspect Ronron Go.
In August, 2017, he was briefly assigned to the BPPO before he was again transferred to Cebu City a month after upon the request of Cebu City Councilor Dave Tumulak, the deputy mayor for police matters in the city.
Dumpit was also assigned as the close-in aide of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña.
For his part, Governor Edgar Chatto said that he hopes that no other drug-linked law enforcer will be transferred to Bohol to safeguard the province from the proliferation of illegal drugs.
“I hope there will be no more law enforcement person from other areas assigned to the province who are also in the top list of potential drug personalities,” said Chatto. “No other Dumpit should be assigned to the province of Bohol for one reason or another.”
Chatto also expressed his belief that the NBI and other agencies involved in the anti-drug operation against Dumpit have sufficiently gathered information and evidence on the alleged “narco-cop.”
“We trust that the NBI, PNP, PDEA correctly gathered all the information. I hope we all will help each other in seeing to it that it could not happen again,” said Chatto.
Dumpit was killed on June 27 in an alleged shootout with NBI and PRO-7 intelligence officers which ensued during a drug interdiction operation near his residence in Barangay San Isidro, Tagbilaran City. (Rey Tutas)