DORIA
POLICE will first conduct a validation and investigation on the accused person before filing any charges.
Cebu City Police Chief Joel Doria gave this statement last Saturday as a reaction to the inclusion of lawyer Jonnah John Ungab in the list of alleged protectors of suspected drug lord Roland “Kerwin” Espinosa.
“When we receive complaints against the accused, vina-validate muna natin ’yan and follow a process of investigation. Unless the accused is caught in the act, ipapa-investigate muna natin ’yan,” Doria said.
He, however, refused to comment further in the inclusion of Ungab in the complaint filed by Albuera Police Chief Jovie Espenido.
He said that the Police Regional Office in Eastern Visayas (PRO-8) is the one on top of the investigation.
In Cebu City, Doria said that they would go after anybody involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs be it a civilian, a barangay official, a lawyer, or even a police officer while they uphold due process and investigation as they implement their share in the campaign to eliminate the trade and use of illegal drugs in the country.
Doria gave this statement as his reaction to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu chapter president Lawyer Gonzalo Malig-on’s statement on the inclusion of lawyer Ungab as drug protector of Kerwin Espinosa.
Malig-on earlier told the police to be careful and meticulous in developing a complaint against lawyers who are just doing their job in defending their clients.