Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Five policemen are in hot water for leaving their posts during the simultaneous police anti-crimes operations (Sempo) of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) in Negros Oriental on December 27, 2018.
Chief Superintendent Debold Sinas, PRO-7 director, said that three police officials and two non-commission policemen were under investigation for not reporting to him after the Sempo.
The five police officers who could not be accounted for were involved in the different operations in the province but failed to return to the operation’s base in Guihulngan City.
The three police officials remained unnamed as they are yet to be investigated.
But Sinas readily named the two non-commission officers, PO1 Melvin Cañete and PO1 Thomas Cañete, who he said ran away in the middle of the shootout with suspects in Guihulngan City.
It was not known yet it Melvin and Thomas are relatives but both hailed from Dalaguete town in southern Cebu, according to Sinas.
Investigations revealed that the two policemen
hid in the city center until they were found by the Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) later that night.
“Tibuok RPSB nangita sa ilaha tibuok gabii (The whole RPSB looked for them the whole night). Only to find out, with the help of our technical support, nagpiping ilang cellphone, naa sa poblacion for the whole day (We traced their cellphones, and we discovered they were at the city center the whole day),” said Sinas.
Upon investigation, the two cops allegedly made excuses, claiming they were ‘trapped’ and that they ’fell’ into the river or the sea when the firing began.
“Tanan na lang reason nila. Unya pagbuto-buto nanagan. (They have all kinds of reasons but during the shootout, they ran away),” said Sinas.
Sinas said that PRO-7 will file charges of Cowardice and Dishonesty against the two policemen, both of whom may be subjected to dismissal proceedings.
The two policemen have been pulled out of the RSBP where they were assigned and have also been disarmed while the investigation is ongoing, said Sinas.
Six individuals died while 16 others were arrested in different parts of Negros Oriental during the Sempo, where policemen were simultaneously sent out to serve 113 search warrants for illegal possession of firearms in the different towns and cities of the province. | elb