14 Maasin cops rapped over 2017 rebel raid

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Fourteen personnel of the Maasin Police Station were found administratively liable in another round of investigation on the New People’s Army (NPA) attack on June 18, 2017.

Police Brigadier General Rene Pamuspusan, Western Visayas police chief, said charges were filed 15 against the police officers.

Seven officers slapped with two administrative cases.

Police Executive Master Sergeant Lemuel Sumayo was charged for grave neglect of duty and was slapped with one rank demotion.

Effective Nov. 15, 2019, he was demoted to the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.

Charged for gross incompetence were Patrolman Hernando Aguilar Jr., Police Corporal Nenette Estampador, Corporal Jonathan Jamelo, Staff Sergeant Antonio Malones, and Staff Sergeant Cheryl Saenz.

They have been meted a 60-day suspension, which they are serving from Jan. 1, 2020 until February 29.

The same administrative case and penalty were also meted against Sumayo, Police Staff Sergeant Hondradez Calata, Patrolman Nomer Ceballos, Senior Master Sergeant Dino Macaya, Patrolman Ariel Maderista, Master Sergeant Benedicto Masculino, Patrolman Jojo Masculino, and Staff Sergeant Jeorge Mayuga.

An administrative case for simple neglect of duty was lodged against Patrolman Efren Berbano, Jr., Calata, Ceballos, Macaya, Maderista, Master Sergeant Masculino, and Mayuga.

They were meted a 30-day suspension that started Dec. 1 until Dec. 21, 2019.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, said the new round of resolution of the administrative cases against the Maasin police policemen is on top of the cases resolved late of 2018.

At that time, several policemen were meted with either 180-day suspension or one-rank demotion.

They were Police Major Ray Cordero, then Maasin police chief; Corporal Liberato Cagampang,

Staff Sergeant Elmer Lentija, Corporal Michael Maquiling, Jamelo, Saenz, Calata, Maderista, and Malones.

Also penalized were Ceballos, Jojo Masculino, Corpotal Francis Esportuno,Benedicto Masculino, Berbano, and Corporal Hernando Aguilos.

Cordero was charged for simple neglect of duty and neglect of duty for his “failure to supervise, inspect, and control his subordinates; for his failure to disseminate any order, directive or instruction; and for his failure to report upon declaration of full alert status.”

The 14 policemen were charged for grave misconduct for losing their firearm.

Aside from grave misconduct, Aguilos was also charged for conduct unbecoming of a police officer.

Cordero, Calata, Maderista, SPO2 Masculino, Berbano, and Aguilos were meted with the penalty of one rank demotion.

The other nine policemen were slapped with 180 days suspension.

The penalty imposed for most involved was less grave compared to the recommendation of the summary hearing officers to have them dismissed from the service.

Malong said more than 20 policemen were charged.

It was retired Police Brigadier General John Bulalacao, then Western Visayas police chief, who signed the decision on Sept. 5, 2018.

All members of Maasin Police Station were relieved and underwent pre-charge investigation when the attack happened. Even those who were on leave and on off duty were also investigated.

Under the PNP’s camp defense plan, even those who are on off duty are required to respond during emergencies.

PRO-6 was on full alert status when the incident happened.

The PNP hierarchy could not contain its disappointment as to how Maasin policemen reacted when their station was attacked by NPA members.

The nine on-duty policemen offered no resistance when NPA rebels overran their police station in broad daylight.

Around 40-50 armed rebels stormed the town center and easily overpowered the nine on-duty policemen of Maasin PNP.

PRO-6 confirmed that the NPAs carted 11 M16 Armalite rifles.

They also took away eleven M16 magazines loaded with cartridges and eleven short magazines loaded with cartridges.

The police station also lost two Glock .9mm pistols with magazines loaded with cartridges, a super caliber .38 pistol, a super Colt pistol with a magazine loaded with ammunitions, and a caliber .9mm Beretta pistol with ammunitions.

Also taken were an Icom base radio, seven portable handheld radios, the police station’s Toyota Hilux patrol car, 5 rig with handcuffs, a non-drug inventory logbook, all non-drugs items kept inside the evidence cabinet, and two sets of GOA Type A uniform.