By Ronron
April 10, 2007
They will not be relieved.
Instead, the three Manila City police officers who took charge in resolving the March 28 hostage drama will only be “admonished” based on the recommendation of an internal investigation of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
“No one was recommended to be relieved (from their posts). The officers will only be admonished,” said PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, Jr. in an interview Tuesday morning at Camp Crame.
This, after revealing that the internal probe of the PNP, headed by Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) National Capital Region (NCR) director Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel, already wrapped up.
Razon disclosed that the initial findings of the probe that he cited last week were later adopted in to the final report, as well as the recommendations, except for the filing of administrative charges against the erring officers.
Subject in the investigation mainly were Manila Police District (MPD) acting Director Sr. Supt. Danilo Abarsoza, MPD Station 5 commander Supt. Rogelio Rosales, Jr., and MPD Lawton Police Community Precinct commander Chief Insp. Bernardino Cubacub.
Razon had earlier cited the following lapses in the negotiation for the peaceful resolution of the hostage taking incident involving Armando Ducat, Jr. and his business associate, Caezar Augusto Carbonell: 1) Failure to Control the Crowd; 2) Improper Media Handling; and, 3) Breakdown of Communication between the Crisis Management Committee and the ground police commanders.
The investigation, he said, recommended that the three officers be admonished; that a hostage-taking crisis management seminar be held for all members of the NCR Police Office (NCRPO); and that the Police Operational Procedures on Hostage Negotiation be reviewd by the Directorate for Operations of the PNP.
Razon said the investigation report will be submitted to PNP chief Gen. Oscar Calderon and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno for final approval.
But already, the MPD started yesterday (Tuesday) a five-day refresher course on hostage crisis negotiation in compliance with the directive of NCRPO chief Deputy Director General Reynaldo Varilla.
The activity is being participated by station commanders and precinct commanders.
Varilla said the seminar will be replicated in other district offices in Metro Manila in the succeeding weeks and months.
“What is important here is we can have additional knowledge, that we will learn new things,” he said of the seminar.
Told that apparently the punishment against the three MPD officials turned lighter during the conclusion of the internal probe, Razon said: “Well, an admonition is also a heavy penalty.”
A day after Ducat and Carbonell hostaged 26 pupils and three teachers from the Musmos Day Care Center that the former built in Parola Compound, Puno ordered the relief of Abarsoza, Rosales and Cubacub for alleged mishandling of the hostage situation.
But Calderon requested that the punishment be withheld until after an internal probe is completed.
Ducat held hostage the students of his pre-school to protest over the massive corruption in government. He demanded that the government assure the graduates of his school of a continuous education until college and free housing provision.
The incident ended peacefully after 10 hours./DMS
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