Court dismisses rap vs. former training school commandant

The court found not guilty a former commandant of a police training school in Lahug of the charge that he pocketed part of funds intended for police recruits. Regional Trial Court Judge Generosa Labra ruled that the prosecution's evidence failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Superintendent Raul Espejo had committed the offense hurled against him by one of his former staff.

"Nothing went to the personal pocket of the accused," Labra said after evaluating all the evidences submitted before the court, including the testimonies of witnesses from both the prosecution and defense. Blesilda Cuevas, a former training specialist and supply officer of the police regional training school, filed the complaint against Espejo, but her testimonies failed to establish proof that her former boss had pocketed public funds.

Cuevas said Espejo required the police trainees to pay every month P900 for their food, P400 for the laundry services, and another P70 for the haircut, or a total of P1,370. The amount would be deducted from the monthly salaries of the trainees.

But Cuevas admitted that before Espejo was assigned as commandant of the PNP training school-7, there were already deductions from the police trainees for their food and laundry services and that she did not complain about it.

Espejo told the court that Cuevas lodged the complaint against him after he had filed an administrative case against her for being a "perennial absentee" from her job without filing leaves of absence.

"The deduction of P400 laundry fee was also necessary considering the hectic schedule of the trainees that they could no longer attend to it and that the trainees are expected to be always neat and presentable all the time," Labra said.