PRO 7 chief relieves south Cebu town cop chief in Oplan Double Barrel Alpha fiasco
CEBU CITY, Dec. 30 (PNA) — Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Noli Taliño has ordered the relief of the police chief of the southern Cebu town of Minglanilla following the allegation that his personnel forced 80 persons arrested in an illegal cockfight to admit that they were drug users as part of Oplan Double Barrel Alpha.
Chief Insp. Florendo Fajardo, Minglanilla Police station chief, lost his post after his personnel raided an illegal cockfight on a vacant lot near the house of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Caraga Regional Director Roger de Dios in Upper Linao, Minglanilla on Sunday afternoon, Christmas Day.
Among those the police arrested was de Dios’s son, Revo, who was selling goods in the vicinity.
Revo and other arrested persons claimed they had been forced to sign affidavits, although Fajardo denied this allegation.
Fajardo and his personnel faced 22 of the 80 arrested persons in a meeting in the PRO 7 headquarters in Camp Sergio Osmena Sr. In Cebu City on Wednesday afternoon.
After the meeting, the complainants agreed not to press charges, for as long as the police erase their names from a file of surrenderers’ names.
Fajardo, his personnel and the complainants later tore the affidavits containing the supposed confessions.
Taliño said they will continue the investigation on the officers.
Fajardo said he and his personnel are ready to face an investigation on the incident which came out in public after de Dios complained about the police’s action.
Fajardo earlier said the illegal cockfight was run by Revo, which de Dios denied.
De Dios said his family owned the lot before, but that he already sold it. He also said he tried to prevent the illegal activity, but he failed. (PNA)
