DUMAGUETE CITY, Aug. 7 -- The Commission on Human Rights (CHR)-Negros Oriental field office is preparing charges against some policemen in the municipality of Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental in what appears to be an "unlawful arrest" of a person accused of being a drug suspect.
In a press conference Monday, CHR special investigator Dr. Jess Cañete identified the complainant as Charlie Sta. Ana Marollano, 36 years old, married and resident of Barangay Tagbino, Vallehermoso town, who had sought his help claiming to have been a victim of an alleged conspiracy.
According to Dr. Cañete, Marollano was arrested last July 16 and placed under detention for 19 days until the prosecutor dismissed the case the police had filed for illegal possession of shabu, The suspect was ordered released Saturday, August 5.
The CHR investigator said that based on his investigation, Marollano was invited to the police station to purportedly discuss some concerns regarding the cockpit in that town whicht appears under the name of Marollano. However, Cañete said the real owner seems to be “the opponent” of the incumbent mayor of Vallehermoso, Marianne Gustilo.
Cañete disclosed that when Marollano arrived at the Vallehermoso police station, he saw two plastic sachets of suspected shabu and a P500 marked bill on the table, which the police personnel later reported as having been confiscated from the suspect in a buy-bust operation.
Marollano was then placed under detention for almost three weeks, the CHR investigator further disclosed.
Dr. Cañete said he will look into the circumstances behind the arrest and detention of Marollano and see if there was arbitrary detention on the part of the arresting policemen.
In the meantime, he said that he will be filing charges under Republic Act 9165 or the Dangerous Drugs Act as amended against the police officers for alleged planting of evidence against Marollano, which he described as a “serious offense” and is “non-bailable”.
The CHR-Negros Oriental chief saidhe will file charges of unlawful arrest and planting of evidence this week against the arresting officers.
He said another police officer will also be included in the complaint, perhaps on a perjury charge, for claiming to be an arresting officer when investigation otherwise showed he was not around when Marollano was “arrested.”
He showed a copy of the video footage obtained from a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system from the barangay captain of Tagbino near the house of Marollano which showed the purported timeline of events in the buy-bust operation.
Meanwhile, Dr. Cañete has requested on Sunday the Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Office 18 (PRO-18) or the Negros Island Region for the immediate relief of these policemen. (Judy Flores Partlow/PNA)
* Stay at Home and START YOUR OWN blog site, business or personal website, or e-commerce store at
www.wirenine.comLinkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=103956.0
