Laguna, Philippines

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. on Tuesday ordered the relief of nine policemen who were accused of summarily executing three suspects in the May 16 Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) robbery-massacre in Cabuyao, Laguna.

“This will give way for an impartial investigation and make sure that the concerned PNP personnel will not be able to use their position to influence the outcome of the investigation,” Razon said in a statement.

The nine policemen, including Superintendent Gilbert Sauro, are members of the Batangas police Intelligence division and Special Operations Group.

Razon ordered Chief Superintendent Ricardo Padilla, Calabarzon police director, to put the nine policemen under camp restriction.

ABS-CBN News 

Four policemen accused of murdering three suspects linked to the bloody May 16 Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. bank robbery in Cabuyao, Laguna, last week have been relieved of their duties amid an official inquiry, authorities said Tuesday.

The officers, who were not identified, were “placed under administrative relief” while the government conducts its investigation, said national police spokesman Chief Superintendent Napoleon Bartolome.

The government’s Commission on Human Rights is investigating allegations that at least three of four slain suspects could have been killed by police in cold blood.

ABS-CBN News

OLONGAPO City: Task Force Subic (TFS) clarified Friday that they have not released the racehorses reported seized Tuesday morning.

Atty. Joenel Aurelio, administrative officer of TFS told The Manila Times that the horses were sent to Jade Brothers ranch in San Pablo, Laguna and Cevila Farm in Malvar, Batangas for safekeeping but clarified that the horses were still under guard by Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG)-TFS operatives.

“We opted to send the horses to the ranches because we have no capability of taking care of them here,” Aurelio added.

The horses, according to PASG-TFS, were undervalued and wrongly declared when flown into Subic from Australia as $800 each, when the estimated value of racehorses is from $5,000 to $35,000.

PASG-TFS officials are also preparing formal charges against a Subic customs official but declined to identify the name of the said official. by Anthony Bayarong

Manila Times

Camp Vicente Lim — The Calabarzon Regional Police Office said it would conduct probe of the two shooting incidents in Tanauan City, Batangas, that killed four men, after their families cried “rub out.”

Senior Supt. Charles Calima, chief of the directorial staff under Chief Supt. Ricardo Ilagan Padilla, assured sanctions would be meted against the officers if proven they violated the police’s “rules of engagement.”

Earlier, the families of former Barangay chairman Pepito Magsino, Vicencio Javier, Angelito Malabanan and Rolly Lachica claimed that the four were executed by members of Task Force RCBC, a team task to solve the bloody May 16 bank robbery at the RCBC branch in Cabuyao, Laguna that killed 10.

Pepito was shot dead by the police on Wednesday afternoon while Javier, Malabanan and Lachica were killed past midnight in another police operation in Bgy. Pagaspas. by Paul M. Gutierrez

Journal Online

CAMP Vicente Lim—The Calabarzon police office is now implementing the “3-strike policy” on local police commanders to prevent crime incidents in their jurisdictions.

Senior Supt. Charles Calima, regional chief of staff, said under the new directive approved by Region 4A police director Chief Supt. Ricardo Ilagan Padilla, any local chief of police where motorcycle-riding suspects managed to commit three crime incidents in a week would be relieved.

The rule also applies when bike-riding suspects  commit three crime incidents in one month or three crime incidents in three months.

“So, if a police chief managed to prevent three successive crimes in one week, he cannot be complacent because he has to make sure the same did not happen for the whole month and the following two months.by Paul M. Gutierrez

Journal Online