P/BGen Bulalacao retires his stars; Western Visayas gets new chief

By Aaron Recuenco

Brig. Gen. John Bulalacao, a police official who helped secure the Boracay Island at the height of its months-long massive clean-up drive last year, is set to retire after more than 30 years in the police service.

Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan, New Regional Director of Western Visayas (Bong Lacson, Negros Occidental Vice Governor / FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN)

Col. Bernard Banac, spokesman of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said that Bulalacao will be replaced as regional director of Western Visayas regional police by his mistah, Brig. Gen. Rene Pamuspusan.

Both Pamuspusan and Bulalacao are members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1988.

Before his stint as top cop of Western Visayas, Bulalacao served as a PNP spokesman. He also served as provincial director of Cavite.

Aside from the Boracay clean-up, Bulalacao was also credited for the peaceful elections in Western Visayas in the midterm elections last May as he was able to crack down on partisan armed groups operating in the region.

The improvement of peace and order in the region, which include the arrest of top communist rebels in Western Visayas, earned Bulalacao a military honor early this month.

On the other hand, Pamuspusan, according to Banac, was the director of the Headquarters Support Service before he was named as Bulalacao’s replacement.

Pamuspusan will be replaced by Brig. Gen. Jesus Cambay Jr., a member of the PMA Class 1989.

Banac said that Colonel Remus Zacharias Canieso was also designated as acting Deputy Regional Director for Administration of Western Visayas.

“These officers were chosen based on merit and performance and upon the recommendation of the PNP Senior Officers Promotion and Placement Board,” said Banac.