Sunday, August 15, 2004
Ombud commends cops, Swat
“WE don’t just penalize erring government officials, but we also give awards.”
Thus Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Primo Miro quipped after giving commendations to six Lapu-Lapu City operatives, including the police chief, Supt. Louie Oppus.
The anti-graft office handed out the commendations last Friday noon for the arrest of the suspect in the killing of a graft investigator’s husband.
Other awardees
Apart from Oppus, also awarded were Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) chief Senior Insp. Jonathan Pineda and Swat operatives PO2 Jacinto Mandal, PO1 Eugenio Hermosa, PO1 Reynaldo Layese and PO1 Jomar Ybañez.
All awardees were present except for Mandal, who attended a court hearing that time.
Handing over the commendation plaques were Miro, Director Virginia Santiago and graft investigator Jane Aguilar.
Miro said they gave the plaques for “a job well done,” after lawmen arrested Joshua Soliano, 30, last Aug. 7 in Bohol.
Soliano stands accused of killing Aguilar’s husband, George Villaflor, in 1996 inside a dive shop in Barangay Maribago. The suspect then allegedly went into hiding in the mountains of Sagbayan town in Bohol, until his arrest.
“This has restored my trust and confidence in the Lapu-Lapu City police,” was Aguilar’s brief comment when asked for a reaction.
She once believed that her case was not paid any attention, and that the suspect remained in the city, untouched because of his influence over some officials and police.
Brutal killing
She recalled how the man shot her husband repeatedly, emptying the magazine. Not contented, he allegedly replaced the magazine and shot the tire and radiator tank of a nearby vehicle, apparently to prevent any attempt to rush Villaflor to the hospital.
Aguilar was married to Villaflor barely two months when he was killed, which was why she opted to keep her maiden name.
The child she was pregnant with is now seven years old, a constant reminder of his father. OCP
(August 15, 2004 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
