Sacked Calabarzon police chief submits affidavit

MANILA, Philippines – Sacked Calabarzon regional police director Chief Superintendent James Melad has filed an affidavit at the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with the shooting incident in Atimonan, Quezon in January 3, where 13 people were killed.

In a four-page affidavit, Melad said it was on Oct. 24, 2012 when Superintendent Hansel Marantan, deputy chief of the regional intelligence division of Calabarzon police, presented to him the case operation plan of "Coplan Armado".

Melad claimed he was informed by Marantan that he asked for funding from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission for "Coplan Armado" and that the latter received the amount of P100,000 as initial funding.

On January 6, Melad said he was told by Marantan that he received an intelligence report about some armed groups.

Because of the belief it was still part of the intelligence build-up, Melad said he told Marantan to coordinate with the local police, and at 4 p.m. of the same day he received information that Marantan was wounded in an encounter.

Melad said that in his 35 years in the PNP, he never had any criminal or derogatory record and it was never his practice to condone any wrongdoing of his personnel.

The former regional police chief was ordered relieved by President Aquino after complaints that the policemen involved in the operation were refusing to cooperate with the investigations on the Atimonan incident.