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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Wednesday, June 28, 2017
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ILOILO City – The 23 police officers of Maasin, Iloilo’s police station who were relieved from their posts following the June 18 raid of the New People’s Army face dismissal from the service.
The Regional Internal Affairs Service of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) has started its investigation.
“What the Maasin police personnel committed was serious neglect of duty. Naging pabaya sila and this is tantamount to dismissal from the service. This is a serious violation a police officer could commit,” said Senior Superintendent Christopher Tambungan, PRO-6 deputy director for operations.
Among others, said Tambungan, the Maasin policemen violated an instruction from the police national headquarters – that all high-powered firearms, especially M16 and M14 rifles, be used by personnel on duty.
Another order violated was to have at least 90 percent of the total personnel posted at the police station since the Philippine National Police (PNP) is on full alert status, said Tambungan.
The PNP has been on red alert since May 23 when President Rodrigo Duterte placed the entire island of Mindanao under martial law.
“The Maasin chief of police was not there and he had only nine personnel posted at the police station. That was negligence. Worse, the cops did not fight back. That was cowardice,” said Tambungan.
The Maasin police chief, Senior Inspector Ray Cordero, was in his house when between 40 to 50 rebels attacked the police station around 10:45 a.m. on June 18.
Tambungan said he had been reminding police chiefs during inspections to beef up their police stations’ defenses.
Aside from Maasin’s, other police stations considered vulnerable to rebel attacks were those of the municipalities of San Joaquin, Guimbal, Miag-ao, Tubungan, Igbaras, Alimodian, Leon, Calinog, Bingawan, Badiangan, San Enrique, Passi City, San Rafael, and Lemery./PN
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