An officer of Cavite Police Provincial Office (CPPO) has prohibited media from browsing over crime spot reports and the journal of police activities and accomplishments in his unit office.

In a memorandum, Superintendent Michael B. Secillano, CPPO Operations Branch chief, also ordered his unit personnel to refrain from providing the newsmen with “press releases” whether on a visit or through telephone call.

Senior Superintendent Alfred S. Corpuz, CPPO director, denied having a hand on the issuance of the memorandum. “I have no knowledge about the memorandum. In fact I was not informed about it. You know me, I’m very fair to the media,” he said in a phone interview.

But Chief Inspector Milagros Sanchez, head of the PIO, said the move is a “standard operating procedure at the CPPO.” However, she said she was unaware that Secillano had issued such memorandum.

Under the unit of Secillano is the Tactical Operations Center (TOC) which receives the crime spot reports and the activity information submitted by all police stations in the province everyday and the operations office which keeps the information materials.

In the memorandum issued last October 26, Secillano specified that the relaying of information to the media is “strictly prohibited.”

Secillano directed the personnel to refer the media instead to the Public Information Office (PIO).

Chief Inspector Milagros Sanchez,head of the PIO, said that she was unaware that Secillano had issued such memorandum “but just the same it is the standard operation procedure at the CPPO.”

Sanchez said with the move, the media would have to pass by the PIO to get information or any news details from any offices in the headquarters.

Some reporters were disheartened by the move as it has been a common practice to visit or call up any police office in the headquarters in the pursuit of their profession.