POLICE Brigadier General Anthony Aberin will assume the role of officer-in-charge of the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) starting today, Saturday, following a leadership reshuffle ordered by Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil on Friday.
Aberin, who previously served as the director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas, will replace Maj. Gen. Sidney Hernia.
Hernia has been reassigned as commander of the Area Police Command (APC)-Southern Luzon.
Hernia’s removal comes just over a month after he was named NCRPO chief on October 9.
He was administratively relieved on November 7, initially for 10 days, with his suspension extended for another five days.
The shakeup also affects other high-ranking officials. Maj. Gen. Ronnie Francis Cariaga, the head of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group, received the same suspension as Hernia.
The disciplinary actions stem from the controversial October 29 raid of an alleged scam hub in Manila, which raised allegations of extortion and the tampering of security camera footage by PNP officers.
Cariaga will now serve as commander of APC-Northern Luzon, while Brig. Gen. Arnold Ardiente has been reassigned to the Police Regional Office in Soccsksargen (PRO-12).
The raid has drawn scrutiny, with the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) distancing itself from the operation. In a statement issued on November 2, the PAOCC clarified its non-involvement: “We were never consulted nor informed regarding this operation. Please do not associate PAOCC with flawed operations.”
The PNP has yet to release findings from its investigation into the raid.