According to Police Lieutenant Colonel Mark Gifter Sucalit, deputy provincial director for operations of the Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), the aforementioned cops will be sent to the CPPO’s Personnel Holding Admin Unit while the investigation is ongoing.
Grapa will be replaced by Carmen Police Chief Major Eric Gingoyon.
The CPPO will also send eight members of the Provincial Mobile Force Company to Liloan as substitutes for the relieved non-commissioned officers.
Charges for physical injury have already been filed in court against Police Staff Sergeant Tabasa and another one personnel but the administrative case and grave misconduct will be handled by the Police Regional Office (PRO 7).
Sucalit explained that the accused may be dismissed from service if proven guilty for domicile.
“There was a report also allegedly na violation of domicile na accordingly ang biktima gipasok. Kung mapamatud-an nga naa tay probable cause again facing another charge for a violation of domicile which is grave-misconduct, which is not anymore under us since ang pinaka daku nga penalty ana is dismissal, ang pinaka lowest is suspension,” Sucalit.
Jager Campania, of legal age, first sought the help of Senator Raffy Tulfo saying seven Liloan policemen entered their house without a search warrant at 11 p.m. on April 18.
According to him, the policemen were looking for a drug personality. He said that when the told them that what they were doing was illegal, Tabasa punched him in the eye.
Sucalit admitted that the policemen were not following the standard operating procedure of the Philippine National Police, which is to carry a search warrant issued by the court, during the search.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, spokesperson of PRO-7, said PRO-7 Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin did not tolerate the wrongdoings of said policemen and ordered for their relief.
However, despite the incident, the seven police officers will still be afforded the right to a fair trial and the opportunity to explain their side on the issue.
“The position of our regional director of Police Regional Office 7 Director Brigadier General Anthony Aberin is always that we will never condone any misdeed and wrongdoing in the PNP and if found to have violated any PNP policy then appropriate penalty or punishment will be meted against the subject personnel after observing their right to due process. Dili pud nato sila i-condemned without giving them the opportunity nga mo-defend sa ilang self because right now what we have known so far is the version of the complainant but we need to hear also the version of the police officers being subjected to this allegation,” Pelare stated. (AYB, TPT)