Berroya’s boys charged

Murder and frustrated murder charges were filed yesterday by the Ombudsman against 10 policemen in connection with the May 19 accidental killing of a hotel steward and the friend of his daughter.

The victims were mistaken for a group of kidnappers by the reckless and trigger-happy policemen, then under the supervision of Senior Superintendent Reynaldo Berroya, head of the PNP-Intelligence Group (PNP-IG).

The PNP-IG men were indicted before the Quezon City regional trial court for the killing of Fernando Lozada, 48, chief steward of New World Hotel, and Marian Unson, 18, a friend of Lozada’s 17-year-old daughter Clarissa.

The policemen were also held liable for the wounding of Clarissa, thus, the frustrated murder charges.

Charged were Superintendent Edgar Iglesia, Chief Inspector James Mejia, Senior Inspector Edwin de Luna, Inspectors Ceasar Percival Pangda, Christine Tabdi and Preston Bangangan, and PO1s Frederick Taala, John Bolatin, Arnold Solas, and Cheerilyn Tundayag.

They were earlier suspended by Ombudsman Aniano Desierto on June 26 after "findings showed that there is strong evidence to support the administrative complaint for gross misconduct against the policemen involved" in the Lozada case.

Lozada and Unson were shot dead after the policemen mistook their Lancer (TKM-265) to that of the kidnappers of Mark Bacalla, son of the late Judge Marciano Bacalla. The young Bacalla was abducted and slain by amateur kidnappers on May 3.

Berroya’s men staked out to arrest the kidnappers after the Bacalla family agreed to pay the P400,000 second ransom to Zaldy Cariño and five others, alleged cohorts of kidnap mastermind Onofre Surat.

During investigation, Surat admitted having organized the Bacalla kidnapping.

Reports say that Lozada drove through a police blockade and nearly hit a policeman. His car rammed into a sidewalk, but the cops continued to open fire at the vehicle. He was hit in the head and body, like Unson. His daughter miraculously survived the shooting.

Kidnappers of Bacalla received the ransom money at Glori’s Supermarket in Quezon City shortly before Lozada drove past in his car. Since his car looked like that of the suspects’, the lawmen blocked his path. But Lozada got scared upon seeing the heavily-armed men and sped off instead.

Berroya said he was taking responsibility for the incident and vowed to punish his men.