The family of slain Cebu lawyer Noel Archival gave a deadline next month for the PNP Highway Patrol Group (HPG) national headquarters to turn over three of its personnel accused in the 2014 ambush-slay.
If they don’t, complaints will be filed with the Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices (MOLEO) against HPG head Chief Supt. Arrazad Subong for “leadership lapses,” said Cebu City Councilor Nestor Archival, brother of the slain lawyer.
Arrest warrants were issued last Dec. 11 against Senior Supt. Romualdo Iglesia, Senior Supt. Joselito Lerion and PO1 Alex Bacani, who were last known to have been transferred to the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame.
Archival said the HPG headquarters informed him that the three police officers were released from their custody last June 17.
He said the family will continue to look for them.
With the help of some friends, they raised the reward to half a million pesos for information leading to the arrest of Iglesia (P200,000) Lerion (P200,000) and PO1 Bacani (P100,000).
“Of course the lapse is in their leadership. They want to cover up because the moment this case went to court I’m very sure that ilang gipangbuhat na dautan maapil man sad sila,” he told reporters.
Regional Trial Court Judge Maximo Perez of Branch 26 in Argao town issued the arrest warrants on the three suspects.
But when arrest warrants were served, the three police personnel could no longer be located.
Archival said he wrote the HPG when he learned that the three suspects were no longer at the custodial center.
“If you are not going to turn them over to the court, we will sue you,” Archival said, recalling the contents of the letter.
“The way we see it, there is so much pressure coming from the leadership to delay the case,” said Archival yesterday.
“They are pushing very hard to transfer the venue of the case to Manila.”
Noel Archival, his aide Candido Miñoza and his driver Alejandro Jayme were killed when they were ambushed in Dalaguete town, southern Cebu last Feb. 18, 2014.
Paolo Cortes, another aide of the lawyer, survived the attack.