Internal affairs probe cops in Muller-Britanico murders

The Iloilo City Internal Affairs Office (IAS) has begun investigating reports that two police officers were involved in the murders of Alain Muller and businessman Delfin Britanico.

Major Manny Manuel, City-IAS head, said they have asked a copy of the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) report on the Muller-Britanico case.

The NBI had filed murder and theft charges against Police Corporals Jerry Villaneuva and Joseph Andrew Joven for the shooting to death of Britanico on Jan 19, 2020.

Villanueva is under “restricted custody” of the Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU) in Camp Delgado while Joven is with the PHAU of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).

In an interview with Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo, Manuel said media reports on the alleged involvement of Villanueva and Joven in the murder of Delfin Britanico, son of former party-list congressman Salvador Britanico, prompted them to conduct the motu proprio (on one’s own initiative) investigation.

Manuel added that the possible administrative charge against the two police officers is grave misconduct which is punishable by dismissal from the PNP.

The City-IAS also reached out to the Britanico family but they have decided to file administrative charges against Villanueva and Joven before the National Police Commission or the Office of the Ombudsman, he added.

Apart from the NBI investigation, Manuel said they also asked for the service records of the two officers from the Police Regional Office 6 and ICPO.

Villanueva is now restricted to Camp Delgado while Joven has surfaced and presented himself to the NBI.

Joven appeared at the NBI-Western Visayas Regional Office VI in Iloilo City evening of June 6, 2020, more than a week after he was charged before the Department of Justice along with three others for the double murders last January 19, 2020.

He was taken to the NBI Central Office in Metro Manila the following day.

Atty. Zulikha Marie Conales, agent on case of the NBI-Death Investigation Division, said Joven “volunteered to be safe kept by the NBI.”

Conales said they met with Joven who claimed that, “magsisiwalat daw po sya ng mga bagay na kanyang nalalaman tungkol sa kaso ni Muller at ni Britanico kaya po siya tinanggap.”

Meanwhile, NBI-6 in Western Visayas will also file another murder case against Villanueva, Joven and two John Does for the death of Muller.

Atty. Ramilo Quinto, NBI-6 executive officer, said the NBI-DID only filed a murder case against the four suspects for the death of Delfin Britanico.

Quinto said the case will also be filed with the Department of Justice since the two incidents are related because of the involvement of the same set of suspects.