Police execs, 8 others face torture raps

Saturday, January 7, 2012

BACOLOD City Police Office (BCPO) and Crime Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chiefs and eight others are facing charges before the Office of Visayas Ombudsman for Military Affairs for the alleged torture of three suspects who allegedly raped a foreign national in Bacolod last year.

Criminal and administrative charges were filed against BCPO Director Senior Supt. Ricardo De la Paz; Women and Children Complaints Desk head P/Insp. Jovy Cabcaban; Investigation Branch head P/Insp. Homer Vargas; Intelligence Branch head P/Supt. Leonardo Borromeo; Station 3 commander P/Insp. Jose Mulleta; City Police legal counsel Atty. Edyll Ferrera; Negros Occidental Provincial Police Office Crime Laboratory head P/Supt. Lazaro Sumagi; CIDG head P/CInsp. Ernor Melgarejo, SPO1 Rosendo Bersal and PO2 Edny Matillano.

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De la Paz said they received the complaints.

Some BCPO personnel were included in the complaint, since they were the members of the task force created to solve the rape incident involving the foreign national.

The three suspects - a certain Jomar, 19, Chris, 23 and J-R, 23 - recently claimed that they were tortured by their captors and forced to admit the crimes of robbery and rape.

The foreign national, who worked as a volunteer in a non-governmental organization in Bacolod City, reported to police that she was raped and was robbed.

Jomar voluntarily surrendered to the CIDG because of fear and he revealed the whole story that led to the arrest of his cohorts Chris and J-R.

During the interrogation, Chris and J-R admitted the crime but, a day later, they retracted their statements, claiming that they were forced to admit the crime because they were tortured by CIDG officers.

De la Paz said the respondents were given ten days by the Ombudsman to answer the complaint.

The city director said the said case could not disrupt nor affect their performance of their duty to maintain the peace and order in the city.

On the other hand, City Mayor Evelio Leonardia also gave legal assistance to the police personnel involved in the case. City Legal Officer Atty. Joselito Bayatan will serve as their legal counsel.