A LAWYER filed yesterday a murder complaint against 39 police officers of the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) 7 over the death of his son, a rookie police officer.
Atty. Christopher Ruiz Sr. included Senior Supt. Clifford Gairanod, the RPSB 7 commander, in the complaint lodged before the Office of Cebu Provincial Prosecutor.
Last June 22, PO1 Christopher Ruiz Jr. died after he reportedly touched a live wire to allow a fellow trainee to pass through in the RPSB 7 camp in Sibonga, Cebu.
“My son died of electrocution that resulted after all the...police officers, conspiring with each other, with treachery and evident premeditation and using superior strength in numbers...willfully, unlawfully and feloniously design such electrocution thereby causing his instantaneous death,” said Atty. Ruiz in his complaint.
The complaint will undergo preliminary investigation and the prosecutor will require the RPSB 7 personnel to submit their counter-affidavits.
PO1 Ruiz was in a pond, doing a training exercise, with other rookie officers before the incident happened.
Gairanod said they will answer the complaint.
“I am shocked by it,” he said.
Aside from Gairanod, the other police officials named in the complaint were Supt. Jonathan Pineda, Chief Insp. Clark Arriola, Senior Insp. Flaviano Atuel Jr., Insp. Neon Francis Alvarez and Insp. Sigmund Freud Cruz.
The non-commissioned police officers who were the trainers of the PO1 Ruiz’s batch were also named respondents.
They are PO3 Arnel Caramonte, PO2 Adam Perpetua, PO1 Kenneth Alima, PO1 Ariel Amoma, PO1 Patrocinio Apura III, PO1 Manny Arengo, PO1 Dhex Anthony Balaod, PO1 Marry Joy Bohol, PO1 Ralph Daniel Borbon, PO1 Glenn Bordalba, PO1 Genesis Cabatas, PO1 Roderick Cabrera, PO1 Chikee Callao, PO1 Kristina Easter Capuras and PO1 Analyn Ciruela.
The others are PO1 Leonizar Cornel, PO1 Roldan Doyugan, PO1 Sergio Gealon III, PO1 Tito Genayas Jr., PO1 Francis Gutierrez, PO1 Jejomar Jopia, PO1 Ray Anthony Leong, PO1 Melvin Derepas Medida, PO1 Jorge Parantar Jr., PO1 Brian Pasquil, PO1 Gerome Patigdas, PO1 Mark Wilson Roa, PO1 Algin Sablan, PO1 Alfredo Sevillita Jr., PO1 Noel Timagos, PO1 Alvin Toring, PO1 Marga Hyacinth Añora and PO1 Melchizedek de Dios.
Gairanod said that PO1 Ruiz’s death was an accident and no one planned to kill him.
Atty. Ruiz, however, did not believe him.
“Clearly there was design in everything that had happened so far though the motive is not clear,” said Ruiz in the affidavit. “The plan and execution was so hideous and treacherous that it offered the victim no chance-not any, at all-to escape.”