Five policemen implicated in the disappearance of an online cockfighting agent last year have been dismissed from the service who were involved in the case of a missing online cockfighting master agent in Laguna last year have been dismissed.
However, only three of them how were indicted for kidnapping and robbery, while the remaining two were cleared of the criminal charges.
Meanwhile, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla lamented the investigators have not identified the brains behind the multiple disappearance of e-sabong aficionados.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rodolfo Azurin Jr. signed the dismissal order against SSgt. Daryl Panghangaan, Pat. Roy Navarete, Lt. Henry Sasaluya, MSgt. Michael Claveria and Pat. Regil Brosas who were tagged as the abductors of e-sabong agent Ricardo Lasco in San Pedro City, Laguna last year.
In a press briefing in Camp Crame, PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the dismissals were based on the recommendation of the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) that established substantial evidence on the administrative charges against the suspects.
Fajardo said the five policemen are currently under restrictive custody at the Calabarzon regional police headquarters.
“Once they receive the official copy of their dismissal order, then the PNP will let go of them because the PNP no longer has jurisdiction over them. They really need to receive it officially so that at least they will be given the opportunity, as part of the due process to appeal the recommended penalty to them,” Fajardo said.
In a Nov. 25 resolution made public on Monday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) found probable cause to indict Panghanggan, Navarette and Brosas on charges of robbery and kidnapping. On the other hand, the DOJ cleared Sasaluya and Claveria.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), meanwhile, welcomed the indictment of three police officers.
“This just proves that justice never sleeps. We are happy with the release of this recommendation and we hope that we will also be able to resolve the other cases that we hold for this missing victims,” CIDG chief Brig. Gen. Ronald Lee said in a separate statement.
State prosecutors considered the testimonies of all the witnesses, as well as the closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the kidnapping of Lasco to be sufficient to establish the case.
The suspects were positively identified by the witnesses based in their sworn statements and pieces of evidence indicating that the group entered Lasco’s house, introduced themselves as agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), then arrested the victim by virtue of a purported arrest warrant for large scale estafa on Aug. 30, 2021 in Barangay San Lucas 1, San Pablo City, Laguna.
The suspects alleged took numerous personal belongings and cash money of the victim and his relatives amounting to over P10.4 million.
Lasco’s case was only one of the eight handled by the CIDG SITG “Sabungero” who took cognizance of the case for further investigation after the complaint for kidnapping filed by the victim’s family before the San Pablo City, Laguna prosecutor’s office was dismissed.
Currently, Lasco was considered missing as the CIDG looks into eight cases involving the disappearances of 34 other e-sabong enthusiasts since 2020.
Justice Secretary Remulla stressed that not everything is clear yet in so far as identifying the mastermind behind the disappearances of cockfight enthusiasts or sabungeros.
“We will point to the mastermind once we have evidence. Because evidence is needed. We cannot just put the blame on people when we have no evidence,” Remulla said, in a radio interview over DZBB.
The DOJ chief expressed belief the families of the missing sabungeros have accepted the fate of their loved ones.
Remulla earlier said that “dead” may be a more precise term to describe the sabungeros who have been missing since 2021.
“What they are really looking for is justice. Justice. I know that they have accepted that this is the case. They only want peace and to ensure that justice will be given to their missing loved ones,” Remulla noted.
He said he has to let the families know the consequences of every case filed.
According to him, a “double jeopardy” scenario may occur should the evidence be insufficient and the presumption is that the sabungeros are alive.
Under the rule of double jeopardy, when a person is charged with an offense and the case is terminated either by acquittal or conviction or in any other manner without the consent of the accused, the latter cannot again be charged with the same or identical offense.
“For example, if we file information and the evidence is not strong enough and the presumption is that they are alive, if they are acquitted, we will have double jeopardy even if we find additional evidence after,” Remulla stressed.
“That’s why we are careful in dealing with this topic and the presumption of death, I think, is necessary for us to be able to tackle this properly,” he said.
The PNP initially reported that another missing cockfighting enthusiasts disappeared after participating in a cockfight in Sta. Cruz on January 13.
In early December, sabungero Michael Bautista was identified by his wife and a brother as the person in a video being handcuffed by two alleged policemen outside a cockfighting arena in Santa Cruz, Laguna.