Los Banos police sacked over crime rash, Palace vows justice for victims

MANILA, Philippines - (UPDATE: 3:32PM) As Malacanang vowed justice for the victims, the police chief of Los Banos, Laguna has been sacked and 50 of his men relieved following the killing of a student of the University of the Philippines in Los Banos Sunday, just the latest in a string of rape and robbery incidents over the past five months.

Chief Supt. James Melad, regional director of Calabarzon police, said he directed the relief of Supt. Dante Novicio on Sunday. Novicio will be will be reassigned to the provincial headquarters of Laguna. He will be replaced at Los Baños by Chief Inspector Conrad Basungsong.

Melad, in a phone interview, said 50 other members of Los Baños police were relieved from their posts and replaced by new personnel. The relieved policemen will be reassigned and made to undergo retraining following a perceived crime surge in the Laguna university town. Population-wise, the University of the Philippines Los Baños is the biggest campus of the state university outside of Metro Manila.

At 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Rey Bernard Penaranda, a 19-year old BS Agriculture student of the UPLB, was killed in a robbery outside the UPLB gates in Barangay Malaking Bato.

Melad said that following the incident, heightened police visibility measures will be implemented in the vicinity of the university.

"We will increase our patrol in the area, we will institute measures such as increased police visibility, more patrols especially at night," Melad said.