Tuesday, October 24, 2006 It was third time cop used police car to go to a motel
IT WAS not the first time for PO2 Junicar Estiñoso to use a patrol car in going to a motel as what he did last Thursday dawn.
Information gathered by the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau (CIIB) revealed that Estiñoso has used patrol cars, including the new City Hall-issued Toyota Innova van, three times already in going inside a motel.
“This will exacerbate his offense. He is working based on luck. Now, he has run out of luck,” Acting Cebu City Police Director Melvin Gayotin said in an interview yesterday.
CIIB Chief Pablo Labra II, in a separate interview, said using the patrol cars in going to the motel three times can no longer be connected to Estiñoso’s statement that he had stomach problems.
“Nobody goes there to use the bathroom,” Labra said.
Labra said he was informed that the Regional Intelligence and Investigation Division is also doing a parallel investigation on Estiñoso, who was detailed to the Mobile Patrol Group, and PO1 MC Stuart Balang, who was Estiñoso’s companion in going to Queensland Hotel at 5:45 a.m. last Thursday.
Balang is the rookie policeman from Western Mindanao detailed at the MPG for his field training program and part of the augmentation force for the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in December.
Balang took over the wheel after the still onduty Estiñoso entered the motel and ordered the rookie policeman to bring the Innova van back to the MPG headquarters.
The van figured in a vehicular accident with taxicab while it was going out of the motel.
The incident prompted Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña to recall all the 10 vans issued to the CCPO.
He also wanted Estiñoso dismissed from service and Balang to be sent back to his mother unit in Western Mindanao.
Estiñoso and Balang were relieved from MPG and were placed under camp restriction at the Regional Headquarters Security Group of the Police Regional Office 7 pending the result of the investigation.
Labra said they are gathering affidavits from Balang and two witnesses.
Labra said although the CIIB is only conducting an investigation, Estiñoso’s offense indicates a grave misconduct which is ground for dismissal. (JST)
