By Ronron
May 18, 2007
The investigation on the policemen implicated in the burning of a school in Batangas province last May 15 that claimed the life of a teacher and a poll watcher was transferred on Friday to the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.
Director Geary Barias, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), said four policemen placed under investigation were likewise transferred to Camp Crame where they will be on restrictive custody following strong indications that two of said cops are actually involved in the arson.
Barias identified the two members of the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) of the Police Region IV-A under investigation as Inspector Roberto Marinda, Team Leader of RSOG-Batangas, and his assistant, SPO2 William Relos, Jr.
He said the two are being investigated “on their involvement to the arson and murder cases,” after they were identified by some witnesses to have been seen near the Pinagbayanan Elementary School prior to and after the burning.
The two also matched the artist’s sketch of the suspects released by local police.
Barias said they also have witnesses who saw the two frequenting the safehouse of Taysan mayoralty candidate Hernando Villena a few days prior to the incident.
Sr. Supt. Freddie Panen, Batangas Provincial Police Director, said Villena lost to Victor Portugal, Jr. in the mayoralty race, but theorizes that Villena could have ordered the burning of the school to have a basis for a possible request for declaration of a failure of election in town.
“But even if (Villena) he would do that, his lead of about 1,000 votes in Barangay Pinagbayanan is not sufficient to alter the results of the counting to favor his victory,” Panen said.
Barias said police may later subject Villena to the investigation if there is a direct evidence linking him to the RSOG personnel now being investigated.
Marinda and Relos will be subjected to paraffin examination at the PNP Crime Laboratory, while their issued firearms will be subjected to ballistics examination.
It can be recalled that the perpetrators set the school building on fire at around 3am last May 15 by firing their guns at gasoline contained in plastic bottles.
Aside from Marinda and Relos, Barias said the chief of police of Taysan, Chief Insp. Elpidio Ramirez, and his deputy, Insp. Ruel dela Cruz, were also placed on restrictive custody for possible administrative lapses in securing the Pinagbayanan Elementary School.
Barias disclosed that at the time of the incident, dela Cruz was among the two cops securing the school together with eight personnel of the 740th Combat Group of the Philippine Air Force.
All 10 security personnel were stationed 50 meters away from the school building where the canvassing of votes was being held as mandated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
Minutes before the school was attacked by five suspects, dela Cruz and his fellow policeman, and four Air Force personnel left the school to respond to an alleged incident in the next barangay, which turned out to be a hoax.
Barias said that when they returned to the school, the fire was already eating up the building.
Barias said the local police could have missed out in securing the back portion of the building where the perpetrators came from, considering that the town is known to be infested with members of the New People’s Army (NPA).
To ensure impartiality and to preclude suspicions of undue influence in the investigation, RSOG IV-A chief, Supt. Roger James Brillantes, was also relieved and placed as well on restrictive custody.
His relief is also based on the principle of command responsibility, although he was not brought to Camp Crame and was not disarmed, unlike Marinda, Relos, Ramirez and dela Cruz.
Barias said they are not discounting the possibility that more RSOG personnel could be involved in the incident, together with some civilian cohorts.
In a visit yesterday to the burnt school together with top police officials, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered a “speedy justice” on the case, Barias said.
In response, Calderon said: “Justice will be served, and the killers and their conspirators will be made to answer for their crime no matter who gets hurt.”
“In police investigation, it is always the evidence that determines the conclusion,” he added.
The PNP leadership had already expressed their disgust over the actuations of the suspected policemen, which, they say, had somehow marred the heroism of the others who sacrificed their lives and safety to protect the sanctity of the ballot during this election period.
On the day of the incident, Calderon had initially blamed the NPA for the attack, citing the reported presence of rebels in Taysan. The NPA denied the allegation.
In a press briefing last Thursday, Barias said they are not totally abandoning yet the NPA angle until the investigation wraps up and points with certainty to the connivance of Villena and the RSOG personnel as the bottomline of the incident./DMS
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