Saturday, December 29, 2007 Cop in shootout released on bail
THE policeman accused of killing a fellow police officer is out on bail and will get legal assistance from the Cebu City Government.
PO1 Mark Anthony Manlosa yesterday posted a cash bond of P10,500 instead of signing a waiver of detention, so he won’t have to spend New Year’s Eve in jail, said lawyer Julius Ceasar Entise.
City Hall assigned Entise to handle Manlosa’s case.
Manlosa is facing a case of homicide for the death of PO1 Calvin Dinampo and reckless imprudence resulting to physical injuries for wounding a bystander.
Manlosa and Dinampo allegedly traded shots at the corner of Silver and Gold Sts. in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City at 7:30 p.m. last Christmas Eve.
Dinampo later died of gunshot wounds in the chest, pelvic area and leg, after Manlosa shot him for allegedly holding a firecracker vendor hostage. (The vendor was unscathed.)
Manlosa, in an interview after the incident, said he was forced to shoot Dinampo to defend himself.
But for the family of the slain policeman, Dinampo was the victim of “overkill.” They’ve asked the National Bureau of Investigation to examine the case, saying they have witnesses willing to testify that Dinampo was not even armed when the incident took place.
Off-duty
Lawyer Entise said that once the case is raffled off to a court, they will file a motion for another preliminary investigation.
Vice Mayor Michael Rama said that Manlosa deserves the help for going “beyond the call of duty” and responding when he was not on duty.
“We want policemen like him to be able to concentrate on their duty by not worrying about the need to find a lawyer for cases they will face in relation to the performance of their duty,” Rama said.
The Cebu City Government, represented by Rama, entered into an agreement last Nov. 15 with 16 City Hall lawyer-consultants for them to render free legal service to the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO).
For his part, CCPO Director Patrocinio Comendador said it is the right of the family of PO1 Dinampo to seek an independent investigation on the policeman’s death.
Comendador, however, said that PO1 Manlosa was just doing his job when he approached Dinampo, who was reportedly spotted brandishing a firearm.
Gun
Dinampo, a beat patrol policeman of the Talisay City Police Station, allegedly held firecracker vendor Allan Añana and used him as a shield, while aiming a firearm at Manlosa.
A one-year-old girl was also injured in the incident.
“Manlosa did not provoke the incident because no policeman would shoot if there is no justifiable cause,” Comendador said.
As to the claim that Dinampo was not armed during the incident and that there was no hostage-taking, Comendador said there were witnesses that “point out the fact that there was indeed a pistol in his possession.”
“Most probably he was not issued a firearm, but that does not necessarily mean he has no firearm,” Comendador said. (KNT/RHM/JST)
