By Kit Bagaipo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Philippines -- The police chief of this province was charged before the Visayas Ombudsman for allegedly mishandling the investigation into the slay attempt on a former mayor.
Already slapped with administrative charges for gross misconduct and grave abuse of authority at the National Police Commission (Napolcom), Bohol Police Director Senior Supt. Edgardo Ingking is now facing criminal charges for obstruction of justice and dereliction of duty.
The criminal and administrative raps stemmed from the handling of the investigation into an attempt to kill former Panglao mayor, Dr. Doloreich Dumaluan.
Dumaluan was shot by one Teodulo Macalandag at the former mayor’s beach resort in Barangay (Village) Bolod, Panglao, last August 25.
In his complaint before the Ombudsman, Dumaluan alleged that Ingking failed to send police investigators to talk to him or assist him.
The former mayor alleged that Inking, instead, offered to help and provide a lawyer to Macalandag, the self-confessed assailant.
Dumaluan claimed that Ingking's act of helping in the defense of the person who shot him by offering the suspect a lawyer was contrary to the police officer's sworn duty to investigate and advance the interest of justice.
The former mayor said Ingking's behavior was calculated to impede, delay and prevent Macalandag from disclosing the truth.
Attached to Dumaluan's complaint was an affidavit executed by Macalandag. It claimed that Inking offered to give Macalandag a lawyer after the police official learned that Dumaluan visited and talked to Macalandag on two occasions at his detention cell in Camp Francisco Dagohoy, Tagbilaran City.
Dumaluan said Macalandag had already expressed willingness to tell the truth and reveal who ordered him to shoot the former mayor when Dumaluan was still confined at the Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City, recuperating from his gunshot wound.
Dumaluan said Macalandag reiterated his willingness to tell all during Dumaluan’s visit at Macalandag’s detention cell and during the clarificatory hearing conducted by the Bohol Provincial Prosecutor's Office (BPPO) last September 9.
Macalandag's affidavit corroborated Dumaluan's claims in his complaint, according to the former mayor.
Dumaluan first talked personally to Macalandag at Camp Dagohoy on September 8 where the latter purportedly narrated voluntarily the story and revealed the names of people involved.
Dumaluan and Macalandag met again the following day as the former mayor wanted to clarify some statements made by the latter.
The former mayor said that it was after their second meeting that Ingking also went to see Macalandag at his detention cell and offered to provide him a lawyer.
Dumaluan said it was on his third visit, together with two priests, which was requested by Macalandag in their previous meeting, that guards at the police camp barred him from seeing Macalandag.
Dumaluan said he was told by the camp guards that they were just following orders of Ingking.
Ingking himself admitted in an interview over a local radio station that Dumaluan was not allowed to enter Camp Dagohoy and would be arrested if he insisted on doing so.
Acting on the request of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. for an independent investigation into the shooting and the police handling of the case, the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame sent a team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) last Tuesday.
The CIDG team interviewed Macalandag and reviewed the handling of the investigation.
Members of the team refused to be interviewed by media but said they would immediately submit their report to the CIDG chief in Camp Crame.
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Topic: Bohol police chief charged over slay try probe (Read 2093 times)