Iloilo City Councilor Plaridel Nava yesterday filed administrative cases against 17 Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) officials surrounding the warrantless arrest of his two security aides. Abuse of authority and misconduct charges were brought before the Office of the Ombudsman.
The city official is seeking the dismissal of the accused, including ICPO director, Senior Superintendent Martin Defensor, Jr., along with forfeiture of benefits and a permanent disqualification from holding any government position.
Also named in the case were City Proper police chief, Police Superintendent Jonathan Pablitol; Mandurriao police chief, Police Chief Inspector Marlon Valencia; Police Superintendent Godfrey Buslotan; Senior Police Officers 2 Edward Barrida and Jessie Jim Rubio; Senior Police Officer 1 Vernie Escorial; Police Officers 3 Richard Ivan Lopez, Oliver Lonasco, Joel Novera, Ricardo Morante, and Vincent Angelo Hongco; and Police Officers 2 Cyril Maestre, John Marcel San Pedro, Melvin Nino, Enrico Gonzales, and Peter Organia.
Nava is also seeking preventive suspension for the accused.
Last month, Roy Delos Reyes and his brother Rey Julius were arrested at the city councilor’s office in connection with the January 4 murder of Nava’s cousin. Upon their arrest, police recovered three .45 pistols, a hand grenade, black holster, and 13,770 in cash.
In response, Nava called the arrests illegal and void ad initio, referring to an act that is unenforceable.
He cited the court case People vs. Cubcubin, Jr., which indicated a warrantless arrest is valid if “the offender has just committed an offense.” The city councilor pointed out the murder took place on January 4, while the arrests were made three days later.
“A warrant must be based upon probable cause, which means an actual belief or reasonable grounds of suspicion,” Nava added. “ICPO officials had no personal knowledge of the facts showing the De los Reyes brothers committed the crime.”
The city official noted, the Cubcubin case found arresting officers assumed a suspect was guilty based on what they had been told by others. He added, police in his cousin’s murder case relied on eyewitness accounts.
“If proven that the arrests were illegal from the start, the subsequent search is also unlawful and thus the recovered items are inadmissible [as] evidence,” Nava stated.
The city councilor also believes the recovered guns and grenade were planted, claiming, it does not make sense for them to carry unlicensed firearms as he has authorized firearms for them in their role as security personnel.
Nava also called it “quite impossible” to bring unlicensed firearms into Iloilo City Hall without them setting off metal detectors.
“Such actuations [by] Defensor promotes injustice and it does not speak well of his character as a police officer,” he added./WDJ