Cop in murder raps still gets promotion

Despite facing cases for murder and reckless imprudence, SPO4 Juanito Pajantoy has been promoted to police inspector.

But no one from the Cebu City Police Office could say as to how Pajantoy was able to secure his promotion. Even P/Insp. Lourdes Ingente, the city police administration chief, wondered why Pajantoy was able to get a promotion despite having pending cases before the court.

Ingente said that although they have the list of those being promoted, she is yet to get a copy of Pajantoy's appointment aside from the orders from the Civil Service Commission and Camp Crame.

She said that as far as she knows, there is still an existing directive that no policeman who has pending cases can apply for promotion because there are clearances required prior to the filing of the promotion.

But she added that a promotion of a police officer could also be nullified if somebody would file a complaint against him.

A staff from the Police Regional Personnel and Human Resource Development Office, however, said yesterday that he received Pajantoy's appointment, which was already forwarded to the Records Section.

Pajantoy's name was included in the list of police officers granted with promotion following an interview in May. He was promoted last August 16.

Although the appointments of those newly promoted police officers were released last December, they still have to wait for the order from Camp Crame.

Pajantoy, who is facing cases in court for the murder of suspected snatcher Omar Patino and the accidental killing of PO3 Michael Sarcol on July 15, 2003, is currently assigned at the Security and Service Group.

Sarcol was responding to a robbery incident along General Maxilom Avenue when he was accidentally hit when Pajantoy reportedly fired at Patino, who allegedly just grabbed a necklace from a woman. - Flor Z. Perolina