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Sunday, January 05, 2003
NBI names more agents but refuses gun test
CEBU -- After three weeks, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) finally identified the organic and confidential agents whose names surfaced during the investigation conducted by the NBI team from Manila.
Last Friday, the NBI head office faxed to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 7 a list that includes organic agents Angelito Magno, Arnel Pura, Rey Tumalon, Danilo Garay and Teodoro Saavedra and confidential agents Joey Cal, Paul Lauro, Denz Pantano, Allan Magallon, Noe Dimaunahan and a certain Nick.
The list is dated Jan. 2, 2003 and signed by NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco.
But CIDG 7 Deputy Chief Ritchie Posadas said they have yet to find evidence against the four civilian agents who were not yet included in the multiple frustrated and attempted murder complaints filed by his office before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.
Charged were NBI 7 Director-on-leave Romulo Manapsal, Magno, Pura, Tumalon, Garay, Saavedra and confidential agents Cal and Lauro.
NBI 7 was conducting an anti-drug operation in Mandaue City last Dec. 13 but they fired at a wrong van whose passengers turned out to be employees of Plantation Bay resort, heading home from a party.
In the letter, Wycoco said he hopes the names will help in the efforts of both agencies to arrive at the truth on the incident.
Posadas said they will summon the four and if possible, he will put them in a lineup for the victims and witnesses to see if they participated in the bungled operation.
But if they will not appear before CIDG 7, the office will find other means to have them identified, such as using photos published by the local papers.
Posadas also said that at least five agents of NBI 7 do not have licensed firearms.
CIDG 7 submitted a list of at least 17 NBI agents to the Firearms and Explosives Unit (FEU) of PRO 7 to check if they are holding licensed firearms.
Initially, FEU submitted a report to CIDG 7 that the names Dennis Chiong, Joey Cal, Paul Lauro, Dennis Prado and Rene Juinio do not appear in the updated list of approved applications to possess firearms and ammunitions of any kind.
"In that case, if they were bringing guns, those may be unlicensed or paltik. The NBI could have also given them the guns, which is a violation of the rules because appointments of confidential agents have been recalled," Posadas said.
In a related development, NBI 7 Acting Director Amador Robeniol denied the CIDG 7's request to submit the firearms of his five organic agents for ballistic test at the PNP Crime Laboratory.
Robeniol, in his letter, said that since the firearms are in the custody of their ballistician Bonifacio Ayag, he wants the test to be conducted in the NBI 7 to be witnessed by CIDG 7 investigators, CIDG's preferred ballistician and the media, to avoid suspicion of tampering with the evidence.
But Posadas said he will not agree to Robeniol's proposal since they are the investigating unit and should not be told what to do.
"If they really want the truth and to help in serving justice, they should turn over the guns to the PNP Crime Laboratory," he said. MBG/Sun.Star Cebu |
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