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Friday, February 10, 2006
Probe men ready to face charges
"READY for a fight."
This was how Philip Pecache, agent-in-charge of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Bacolod, reacted to the filing of criminal complaints against eight of his agents before the Negros Oriental Provincial Prosecutor's Office.
The complaints include kidnapping, robbery with violence and intimidation, serious illegal detention, grave threats and planting of evidence, a violation of Republic Act 9165.
Pecache is considering these complaints as part of the "collateral attack" against their bureau aimed at diverting the real issue -- that is, the mauling of his men at the Pamplona Golf and Country Club Saturday afternoon last week.
"This is also a sort of desperate defense on the part of those who blocked the serving of search warrant for alleged illegal possession of firearms against a Korean national Ha Hei Bong," he said.
But Pecache said the bureau now has a separate pool of men ready to counter this so-called collateral attack, which to him is not in accord with the law.
Pecache said he would not take the matter sitting down if that's what the other camp wanted.
"We are ready as we have competent people to counter this move against the bureau," Pecache said, adding that each of his men now has individual task on this legal battle.
"Those who were tasked to counter the complaints filed against our people belong to a different group," he added.
Pecache is confident that the truth would come out as he trust in the hierarchy of the different government institutions that are handling the case right now.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales said he is waiting for the final result of the investigation on the reported Pamplona mauling incident that involved the operatives of the Negros Oriental Police Office and NBI-Bacolod.
Chief Superintendent Eduardo Gador and Medardo De Lemos, the Philippine National Police, and NBI-Central Visayas directors were tasked to lead the probe.
They will be assisted by the operatives from NBI-Manila.
"We will wait for the result to determine who will really be held responsible on the incident," Gonzales said.
The NBI-Bacolod agents allegedly mauled by Negros Oriental police were identified as Menci Mamaspas, Ed Kawada, Francis Ramos, Bernie Belleza, Cyrun Alosan, and Eric Jameo. Two others remain unidentified.
NBI artist Henry Arellano escaped when the incident happened.
Arellano texted Pecache about the incident prompting the latter to seek assistance from Gador and NBI-Dumaguete chief Dominador Cimfranca.
But the management of the Pamplona Cottages and Golf and Country Club claimed that the NBI-Bacolod agents have already started doing surveillance operations in their resort without identifying themselves.
The Pamplona management's legal counsel Manolo Zerna also said that even the search warrant the NBI men were about to serve against his client was confirmed fake.
Worse, said Zerna, the NBI-Bacolod agents have even abducted one of the resort's security guards, Alfredo Elmaco of the Cordial Security Agency on February 1.
This prompted the resort owners to file kidnapping charges against the NBI-Bacolod agents, including Kim Seong Kook, a Korean Presbyterian pastor from Beach-Maple St., Villa Angela Subdivision, Barangay Villamonte, Bacolod.
The Pamplona Cottages management also claimed that at noon of February 4, the NBI-Bacolod men armed with an armalite and UZI machine pistols barged into the premises of the golf course.
They also showed the search warrant and insisted to search the area despite the management's objections because of the absence of a barangay official.
The search warrant was issued by Cebu City Executive Judge Simeon Dumdum Jr.
The manager of Pamplona Cottage, Leah Bobon, said she had noted that the armed men continued to harass the resort and golf course staff, causing shock and fear among the Korean students and guests.
The NBI-Bacolod men, added the management extended their search up to the canteen, comfort rooms, male and female quarters despite their objections, which prompted them to call for police assistance.
But when a group of policemen led by Senior Inspector Julius Muñez arrived, the van where Kook, Arellano and two others were boarding drove off bringing along the firearms they have confiscated from the guards.
Muñez, however, denied mauling the NBI-Bacolod agents.
He also said that there was no coordination from their office for such operation.
Cimafranca however countered this claim, stressing that there was miscommunication on the two agencies.
Meanwhile, the NBI-Bacolod men involved in the incident would not comment on the issue. (EASD)
(February 10, 2006 issue)
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