Friday, October 20, 2006 Cop uses City-issued new vehicle to take him to motel By Jovy S. Taghoy Sun.Star Staff Reporter
AN OFFICER of the Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) will have to explain to the City Hall why the newly issued Toyota Innova car for the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) figured in a vehicular accident in front of a motel along General Maxilom Ave. yesterday dawn.
PO2 Junicar Estiñoso allegedly used the car, with body number 004, to drop him inside the Queensland motel at 5:45 a.m. when his tour of duty was to end at 6 a.m. yet.
Acting CCPO Director Melvin Gayotin ordered the immediate relief of Estiñoso from MPG.
Estiñoso is now with the Security and Service Group pending an administrative investigation by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB).
He could not be reached for comment.
CIIB Chief Pablo Labra II, in a separate interview, said Estiñoso will have to explain why he used the car in going inside the motel.
Labra received information that Estiñoso asked PO1 MC Stuart Balang, a rookie policeman from Region 9 who is on the field training program at the MPG, to drive him to the motel.
Labra said Estiñoso may have dropped by his house to change clothes before proceeding to the motel.
Estiñoso was summoned to Labra’s office yesterday.
A spot report submitted by the MPG Section to the CCPO’s Operations Section said that Estiñoso, who was driving, and Balang met an accident with CTC taxi (GWP 824) driven by Lourdeso Castro outside the motel.
Estiñoso reportedly drove inside the motel to relieve himself as he was suffering from loose bowel movement (LBM).
The MPG Headquarters and the Mabolo Police Station are located a few meters away from the motel.
But the taxicab was reportedly parked beside the road with its back portion almost blocking the motel’s exit.
The City Hall-issued car, this time driven by Balang, was reportedly going out of the motel and was negotiating a right turn when its right front portion rammed into the left rear portion of the parked taxicab.
The CCPO traffic division is looking into the vehicular accident.
As for Balang, Labra said the investigation will be initiated by his immediate superior from Region 9, although he will have to submit an affidavit to the CIIB.
