THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Internal Affairs Service (IAS) has recommended to PNP Chief Guillermo Eleazar the dismissal from the service of five policemen involved in the shootout that resulted in the killing of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino in March 2021.
IAS inspector general Alfegar Triambulo said they recommended the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel Harry Sucayre and Shyrile Tan and Lieutenant Julio Armeza Jr., members of Visayas Internal Monitoring and Enforcement Group; Staff Sergeant Neil Cebu of Samar Provincial Police Office Explosives Ordnance Division; and Corporal Edsel Omega of Samar Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU).
All five were charged with grave misconduct and grave irregularity in the performance of duty.
Sixteen other policemen charged over Aquino’s killing were cleared of administrative charges after the IAS found out that they merely augmented what they thought was a legitimate operation.
The five policemen were under restrictive custody at the Eastern Visayas Police Regional Office.
Triambulo said that based on their investigation, the incident was an ambush and not a shootout as claimed by cops.
Triambulo said the incident was premeditated to “liquidate” Aquino.
Aquino and two of his companions were killed by cops on March 8, 2021 along Laboyao Bridge in Barangay Lonoy in Calbayog City.
Captain Joselito Tabada, who was the police chief of Gandara and also the acting chief of Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU), and Staff Sergeant Romeo Cobococ Laoyon of DEU were also killed in the incident.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in June filed charges of murder and frustrated murder against Captain Dino Goles, Sucayre, Tan, Armeza, Cebu, Omega, Patrolman Nino Salem and civilians Juluis Garcia and Randy Merelos. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)