Police Brig. Gen. Rommel Batangan has been appointed as the new head of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) following the resignation of his predecessor over a sexual harassment complaint.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez, Jr. approved Batangan’s designation in an order dated March 26, after the National Police Commission (Napolcom) announced it had received complaints against a police general.
Napolcom earlier identified then HPG director Brig. Gen. Jessie Tamayao as a respondent in administrative cases filed by a female HPG officer, who accused him of making sexual advances.
In the complaint filed before the Napolcom Inspection, Monitoring and Investigation Service (IMIS), the female officer is seeking the dismissal of Tamayao for alleged violations of Republic Act No. 7877 (Anti-Sexual Harassment Act of 1995) and Republic Act No. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012).
But Tamayao denied the allegations and vowed to clear his name over the allegation which he described as “a personal vendetta the reason of which I am not aware.”
“I firmly deny the allegations. I can only deduce this is a personal vendetta the reason of which I am not aware. However, I recognize the gravity of such a complaint and the importance of maintaining the public’s trust in the integrity of our office,” said Tamayao in a statement
“My decision to resign is not an admission of guilt, but a demonstration of my commitment to due process and the institutional reputation of the Philippine National Police. By stepping down, I aim to remove any perception of influence or conflict of interest while the proper authorities perform their duties,” he added. (Aaron Recuenco)
