The police chief of Jalajala town in Rizal, who is being investigated for allegedly sexually molesting a male inmate, was relieved from his post yesterday.
Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, Calabarzon police director, said Senior Inspector Ian Rico Reyes was placed on floating status at the Rizal police headquarters pending the results of the investigation.
“He was relieved from his post so he cannot influence the outcome of the investigation against him,” Padilla said.
Reyes was temporarily replaced by Inspector Manuel Magat, whose last assignment was at the Tanay police station.
Aside from being accused of molesting the male detainee, Reyes is similarly being pinned down by one of his men on other sexual abuses.
PO2 Monico Mojado Jr. turned up yesterday before Superintendent Ronaldo Mendoza, head of the Provincial Investigation and Detection Management Branch, to testify that Reyes allegedly ordered several suspects they had arrested to undress and masturbate before him in his office.
In a one-page affidavit, Mojado claimed that they arrested in February last year several suspected cable thieves in Barangay Mataya and that when they were brought to the police station, Reyes allegedly ordered them to remove their clothes and masturbate while watching a bold movie on a computer.
Mojado said he merely dismissed the incident then, thinking that it was Reyes’ way of meting punishment to the suspects.
However, Mojado said the practice was repeated late last year when three youngsters they arrested for playing the card game tong-its were also ordered by Reyes to undress before him, again in the guise of a body search.
According to Mendoza, they are gathering evidence against Reyes before asking him to submit his counter-affidavit.
Reyes has not yet reported for duty at the Rizal police command in Taytay town. He also failed to return repeated calls.