The Court of Appeals recently reversed the dismissal order by the Office of the Ombudsman on former Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) director, Police Senior Superintendent Cornelio Salinas.

Salinas, alongside Police Senior Superintendents Michel Filart and Nepomuceno Corpus, Jr. were among 19 police officers dismissed in 2015 in connection with a P4.54 million purchase of rubber boats for the police maritime unit in 2009.

Associate Justice Socorro Inting ruled the dismissal “wrongful” and ordered the three reinstated.

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor, Sr. responded to the decision favorably.

“I’m very happy with this,” the governor said. “He was one of our best performing officers.”/WDJ