I'm pretty certain the problem is with the way the model hierarchy is set up. If it was set up properly, the -trans suffix for the texture wouldn't be necessary, and removing it wouldn't make a hole. Specifically, the problem is that the nameplate subobject is just called "nameplates". It should have been called "detail0-trans" before importing to PCS2. Renaming after import doesn't work.
AFAIK, it isn't a problem that can be resolved in PCS2, and I'm not about to convert the model back to .dae, re-rig it , and rebuild the .pof unless the team asks me to. I'm told they have a working version anyway.