Requests For Reinvestigation: PIB chief says probe on jailbreak is unfair
CEBU Provincial Investigation Branch head, Supt. Juanito Enguerra, has requested for a reinvestigation of the escape of eight detainees from the Cebu Provincial Police Office, as he assailed as unfair the way the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division handled the investigation.
Regional investigation division head, Sr. Supt. Arturo Evangelista, submitted on Friday his final report to Police Regional Office-7 director Ronald Roderos with the findings that there was probable cause to charge Enguerra and the four police officers to the jailbreak of the detainees.
If found liable for the offense, the five policemen may be punished with a month’s suspension or forfeiture of salary, and all bonuses and allowances.
“Unsa’y implication niani sa mga tawo? Dapat unta wala nila gi-reveal ang mga pangalan. I’m demoralized because of this kay first time ni nako nakasuhan tungod niini,” Enguerra said yesterday, adding that an administrative case like this one “should be confidential.”
Enguerra further said that it was unfair to include him in the charges because it was not yet established who was responsible in the escape of the eight detainees.
Enguerra wrote a letter to Roderos, coursed through CPPO director Carmelo Valmoria, requesting for a re-investigation of the case to determine who are liable in the escape of detainees. He also cited the high cost of hiring a lawyer to defend him from the charges.
The pre-charge evaluation report did not confirm that the eight detainees escaped from the detention cell or from custody of the RID personnel. Evangelista howevere reported that the five policemen failed to follow procedures in the turnover and receipt of detainees.
Enguerra was included in the case because, under the doctrine of command responsibility, he was also present when RID personnel first arrived to detain the inmates, Evangelista said
Evangelista further explained that the RID should have conducted a proper headcount before turning over the detainees to the PIB, which in turn should have done the same in receiving them.
Enguerra insisted however that he was already out of the headquarters when the RID personnel turned over the detainees, and that it was Berongan who signed the form of living bodies.
In a separate interview, Valmoria advised his men to avoid being demoralized, and explained that being confronted with this kind of situation is part of the job of a policeman.
He said he supported the pre-charge investigation report, and that the summary hearing is necessary to determine who might be liable for the jailbreak.
“Ako, I wanted to know kung unsa gyud ang tinuod nga nahitabo. The purpose of the investigation is to find out what really happened,” Valmoria said. — Garry B. Lao/RAE
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