THE Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) acting director wants the three police officers of the Abellana Police Station to explain why they did not show up at the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 office for the investigation on the killing of the mayor of Clarin, Misamis Occidental.
The three police officers who served as escorts of Clarin Mayor David Navarro were summoned by the CHR 7 to its office on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, to shed light on the ambush incident in Cebu City on Oct. 25.
According to CHR 7, they sent a letter to the officers asking them to report to their office for the investigation but none of the three, including Police Major Eduard Sanchez, the police station chief, showed up.
Police Colonel Geovanie Maines, acting CCPO director, said he was not informed about CHR 7’s investigation. He also doesn’t know where the letter was addressed.
The three officers from Abellana police station are held at the Regional Personnel Holding Admin Unit of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 while they are under investigation.
“Wala naman kaming information na mag ko-conduct ng (investigation) or kahit letter na sinabihan kami, naabisohan sana namin at napadala namin doon (We were not informed that there will be an investigation, not even through a letter. We could have advised the policemen),” Maines said.
Maines said there may have been a miscommunication between CHR 7 and the police officers.
He also asked where the CHR 7 sent the letter, whether it was sent to the police station or the officers’ home address. He said the CHR 7 should send the letter to CCPO or to PRO 7 so that his personnel can give the letter to the concerned officers.
“We are not hiding anything. We are open or whatever. Dapat doon sa CHR alamin nila kung saan naka assign na ngayon yung tao para ma-iproperly coordinate yung mga sulat nila para makarating sa kanila,” Maines added.
He assured they will cooperate in the probe and would provide the CHR 7 any document if the agency asks for it.
With the refusal of the policemen to cooperate in the investigation, CHR 7 Chief Investigator Leo Villarino said they will seek help from their central office to compel the officers to cooperate.
He said it was not appropriate for the officers to just inform them through a letter that they would not show up for the investigation and they would not provide the information the CHR 7 asked for.
In the subpoena sent to the policemen, the CHR 7 had asked them to divulge what they witnessed during the ambush and provide them with documents that can help in the investigation. (AYB, HBL, RDR)