THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) yesterday announced it will be filing a complaint of malversation of public property against P03 Reynaldo Solante of the Provincial Police Intelligence Branch and his wife Christine.

CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador said Reynaldo violated a provision in the Revised Penal Code (RPC) when he allowed his civilian-wife Christine to transport an M16 rifle, which is a government property.

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Christine was accosted by a team of policemen from the Fuente Police Station and Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) after a security guard informed authorities about the high-powered firearm she reportedly transported inside her Mitsubishi Strada.

But Christine asked yesterday the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) 7 to look into the violations committed by the policemen.

Christine earlier narrated how the policemen from the Fuente Police Station and the MPG allegedly took P300,000 in cash and mobile phones from her apartment when they entered it to retrieve the M16 rifle.

Prior to this, she said, the policemen—PO2 Marvin Sanson of the Fuente Police Station and SPO2 Rene Sultan and PO2 Clifford Mantua of the MPG—flagged her vehicle down after receiving information from a security guard.

And despite being told that the gun was at home and was actually government-owned and issued to her husband Reynaldo of the Cebu City Provincial Police Office, the policemen allegedly insisted that they go home with her to retrieve it.

Solante said the police officers, who didn’t present a warrant, were discourteous and forced her to hurry, even after she explained that the rifle was issued to her husband and despite seeing his police uniforms hanging in their closet.

It’s a charge Sanson and the MPG policemen have denied and one that their superiors at the Fuente Police Station and the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) headquarters want Solante to substantiate the allegations.

“Sila ma’y namasangil, sila’y produce og evidence,” CPPO Director Patricinio Comendador said.

Meanwhile, Atty. Ernesto Macabare, NBI head agent and executive officer, confirmed that Christine signed a complaint sheet and has been referred to Supervising Agent Rennan Oliva.

Oliva, on the other hand, said he has yet to speak with Christine about the incident that allegedly took place last Wednesday.

But Comendador wants Solante, who is from Tudela and who allegedly intends to seek public office there during the next polls, to present bank slips showing that she indeed had that amount with her during the incident.

“Sanson was publicly humiliated for performing his duty,” Comendador said.

Christine pointed to Sanson as the one responsible for taking her cash and cellular phones. She vowed to file charges against Sanson and the two other policemen.

Comendador, however, said the controversy should not be averted from the real issue, which is the carrying of a government property by a non-authorized civilian even though the gun was found at their home and not in the actual possession of the policeman’s wife.

He said that this violates PNP Rules and Regulations and added that he might order the filing of a malversation of government property complaint against Reynaldo and his wife.