Police Director General Arturo Lomibao reinstated on Monday Sr. Supt. Alan Purisima as the provincial police director of Pangasinan whose relieve two weeks ago was met by protests among local officials.

The reinstatement was made after the investigation on how a raid on video game operation in one town was conducted was found to be "dubious."

Purisima was relieved from his post on March 21 because of the police's "three strike policy" after slot machines were confiscated by Crame's Anti-Illegal Gambling Task Force ( AIGSOTF) in Urdaneta City, Bautista and Basista towns.

But investigation showed that the raid in Bautista was dubious because the machines confiscated there were broken and no longer in use.

Governor Victor Agbayani, who earlier asked Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to reconsider the order to remove Purisima from office, said he was happy that the police leadership "listened to us."

"While we don't want the children to be influenced by illegal activities like video games, there are more serious crimes that need to be addressed by the provincial police," Agbayani said.

He also said that with Purisima's reinstatement, he can continue the anti-crime activities he had started in the province.

Purisima said his reinstatement posed a "greater challenge for him to do his job better and to work harder to fight crimes in the province.

Dagupan Mayor Benjamim Lim said he was also happy with the reinstatement of Purisima because "he deserves it."

"I am happy and I'm sure that the private sector and most of the local government officials are happy and welcome his reinstatement," Lim said.

Rosendo So, president of the Eastern Pangasinan Chamber of Commerce which wrote a manifesto for Purisima's reinstatement, also said the businessmen were elated that the police officials reconsidered their decision.

 Lomibao however, said that since the two "strikes" were above board, another strike or if another raid on illegal gambling activities in the province proves to be positive, Purisima will be relieved.
"The rule is that the police will be administratively relieved pending investigation results. Since the investigation showed that the raids were suspicious, we are reinstating. (Purisima)," he said.

The decision to remove Purisima from office came under fire from Chruch and local officials.

Archbishop Oscar Cruz earlier called the relief of Purisima as "unfair" because there was no jueteng in the province. "Why should a mere presence of a video machine be the basis of his relief?" he said.

Agbayani, earlier said since the members of the AIGSOTF which conducted operations in this province have been arrested earlier for extortion activities and therefore disbanded,  "why should the basis of his relief be the reports of a discredited group?"

"Purisima was also undertaking operations to prevent more serious crimes. His relief, or changing horses in midstream so to speak, will disrupt and setback these operations and our efforts to preserve peace and order in the province," he said.

Lim said the measures that Purisima implemented at a time when the City of Dagupan was easy prey to bank robbers established a peace and order in the City, and most importantly, a sense of security for our constituents and investors.