Two cops tagged in ‘failed salvaging’

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Two police officers were allegedly among the six suspects who allegedly tried to “salvage” or summarily execute an alleged thief who was found wounded in a rice field at Barangay Calaboa, Leganes on March 26.

Captain John Robles, Leganes police chief, declined to name the suspects in the attempted killing of Glen Paloma of Pavia, Iloilo.

Of the six suspects, two were not identified, he added.

Cases for frustrated murder and planting of evidence, which is in violation of Section 29, Article II of Republic Act of 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) were filed against the suspects before the Iloilo Provincial Prosecutors Office.

While Robles and Major Rolando Araño, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) spokesperson, were mum on the suspects’ identities, the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) confirmed that the two officers are organic members of ICPO.

But Colonel Joeresty Coronica, ICPO director, said it’s up to IPPO to name names.

“I haven’t seen the complaint sheet. I just received the information from reliable sources,” he said.

Coronica said the two cops went to his office and denied their involvement.

“I told them that they have to face the charges against them,” he said.

It can be noted that Glen Paloma, 29, of Barangay Aganan Riverside, Pavia, Iloilo survived what appeared to be an assassination attempt.

He was pushed out of a vehicle and repeatedly shot at a rice field at Barangay Calaboa, Leganes.

The victim sustained around 5 gunshot wounds, based on his available medical bulletin.

His hands were tied with a wire, his neck was bound with packing tape, and his feet were also strapped with packing tape.

Robles said it was not clear how the victim ended up in Leganes.

But he was able to tell police investigators that he boarded a private vehicle at Barangay Ungka (not certain if it’s Ungka, Jaro, Iloilo City or Ungka, Pavia) around 5 a.m. on March 26.

Paloma also did not say if he went voluntarily or was forced to board the vehicle.

But latest reports claimed the victim was caught in the act of robbing a restaurant in Pavia town.

One thing led to another until he was shot several times.

Three days before that, a victim of purported summary execution was also found at Tigbauan, Iloilo.

Hog-tied with duct tape and with gunshot wounds on the head and shoulder, the body was found at a roadside of Barangay Linobayan, Tigbauan.

Through the identification cards found in the victim’s bag, he was identified as Allen Sanchez of Barangay Sto. Niño Norte, Arevalo, Iloilo City.

Aside from the two identification cards, the bag also contained three sachets of suspected shabu, a sachet of dried marijuana leaves, drug paraphernalia including a digital weighing scale, and other personal belongings.

No suspect in Sanchez’s death has been identified.