WHILE the police organization hailed the heroic act of Police Senior Master Sergeant Jason Magno, who died to protect others in a grenade explosion inside the Initao College in Misamis Oriental on Thursday, November 28, a police official said lapses in operational procedure and protocol during the incident were observed.
Lieutenant Colonel Mardy Hortillosa, spokesperson of Police Regional Office (PRO)-Northern Mindanao, said police officers at the scene failed to control the crowd inside the campus.
In a video circulating online, a group of civilians got in a scuffle with the suspect identified as Ibrahim Basher while others seemed to throw rocks at him. Basher died of gunshot wounds.
Hortillosa also said the Initao Police Station is under investigation and was asked to explain why only Magno and Police Master Sergeant Alice Balido responded.
He said these observations will be reviewed to determine if they need to implement changes in the police operational procedure.
"Nasabtan pud nato nga gibadlong daw nila ang mga tawo sa palibot pero wala na gyuy time. Naa pa mga civilian nga ni-attempt ug ilog sa kutsilyo sa suspect, kung wala pa siguro to sila, maybe naa pay time mag-negotiate atong pulis," Hortillosa said.
(We understand that they tried to stop the crowd but there was not enough time. Some civilians even attempted to grab the knife from the suspect. Were they not there, there might have been time to negotiate with the suspect.)
"Gi-recognize nato ilang kaisog pero naa na man ang police, giturn-over na unta to nila sa pulis to handle the situation," he added.
(We recognize their bravery. But they police had arrived. They should have allowed the police to handle the situation.)
Hortillosa disclosed that they are also coordinating with the Lanao police to find out why the suspect owned and carried a grenade.
Meanwhile, Misamis Oriental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Fernando Dy defended how the Initao town emergency responders rescued Magno.
In a video clip, police and some rescuers lifted Magno without a stretcher.
"During that particular incident, the rescuer performed rapid patient transfer away from the incident area for the safety of the patient and the responder as well as for immediate first aid management," he said.
"Immediate care/attention sa victim nga critical ang kahimtang. Magdepende sa sitwasyon kay hinali man ang panghitabo ug basin sad naa pa siyay mga kauban sa gawas nga mo-resbak. Depende gyud ang response sa given situation. At stake sad ang kinabuhi sa responder adto nga situation," Dy added.
A total of 16 civilians were injured. Magno and the suspect were killed during the incident.