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Saturday, April 09, 2005
Officers file raps against police chief
By Danilo V. Adorador III
NOT all's quiet on the front as far as City Police Director Honorio Cervantes is concerned.
With four city police officers being slapped with kidnapping charges and himself in the eye of controversy over a case that was later reported to have been dismissed, Cervantes now faces the prospect of moves to oust him from his post.
This came after a ranking police official, Senior Superintendent Paciano A. Deloso accused the city police director of violating a law penalizing the obstruction of apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders.
Deloso has recently been relieved from his designation as Chief of Operations and Plans Division, and transferred to the General Assignment Section.
Deloso's transfer is seen as a demotion.
The charge, filed last week at the Municipal Trial Courts in Cities (MTCC), arose after the elements Special Operation Unit (SOU) led by Senior Police Officer 2 Jerry R Abella arrested Marites F. Dagandan for "possession of and control of 12,900 pieces of illegal suertres tips."
The arrest occured in Tiano-Makahambus Streets, together with other SOU members Senior Police Officers 1 Julius P Roa and Alex B dela Peña. They along with Paciano filed similar charges against Superintendent Cervantes.
In their joint affidavit, a copy of which was obtained by Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro, Cervantes allegedly intervened with Dagandan's case and freed the suspect without their knowledge.
"That after several hours, we only knew that Mrs. Dagandan has already singed an agreement made by the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Division (CIID) personnel, informing us that suspect was already released through verbal instruction of the City Director..." part of the three policemen's affidavit reads.
Single mother
Cervantes later told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro that the three SOU officers were reassigned recently to various precincts in the city.
Deloso came in the scene after the apprehending officers informed him of Dagandan's release, his affidavit said.
"That after I made inquiries the subject (Mrs Dagandan) was released through verbal order made by the City Director after the suspect signed on agreement made by CIID personnel," Deloso said in his affidavit.
A copy of the alleged agreement was obtained by Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro.
Later Cervantes categorically denied all allegations hurled at him by the policemen, in an interview with Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro Friday.
However, Cervantes admitted that he freed Dagandan "out of humanitarian reason." "I did not order them to arrest that woman, I am the chief of police here, it's my prerogative," Cervantes said, saying that the arrest was without his consent.
"I freed the woman because she has four children and she is a single mother," Cervantes said.
Personnel downloading
Cervantes also castigated Deloso and three other policemen saying, "these people seek my ouster."
Asked what is the possible motive of the policemen in filing the charge against him, Cevantes said he is uncertain.
"But it could be because I'm new here and they considered me as an outsider," Cervantes was quick to add.
Cervantes also hinted that he might have been a "hindrance" in the four policemen's "hocus-pocus." He did not elaborate.
But Cervantes said that the three policemen, including Deloso are just sour-graping when he decided to transfer them in other assignments, generally considered as demotion.
"These are disgruntled officers and they only reacted when I relieved them of their positions," Cervantes added.
Cervantes said the reassignment of Deloso and other three policemen is "just a part of personnel downloading."
"I need to re-align my personnel and send some of them to police precincts in the city to maintain police visibility.
He said the realignment is part of his "continuing revamp." Cervantes also enforced a revamp his ranks last month.
The city police chief said he didn't relieve the police officers because of their case against him. "In fact, I relieved them just before this case surfaced," he added.
Cervantes also assured the public that COCPO's operations would not be impaired with the current rift inside the city police office.
(April 9, 2005 issue)
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