BY RUBY SILUBRICO & RHENJIE MARIE CALANTAS
ILOILO City – Personnel of the Passi City Police Station and Provincial Special Operations Group (PSOG) were relieved from their posts for allegedly planting evidence during a raid in Barangay Agtabo, Passi City, Iloilo on Aug. 12.
Brigadier General Sidney Villaflor, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) director, confirmed that 34 personnel present when a search warrant was served to Neptalie Barrios were relieved effecttive yesterday.
Passi City chief Lieutenant Colonel Aron Palomo, who spearheaded the raid, was also placed under administrative relief while the PRO-6 is conducting an investigation.
Administrative relief is a procedural measure to guarantee the utmost impartiality in the ongoing investigation.
Major Marvin Buenavista will temporarily replace Palomo.
“We temporarily relieved the police personnel involved in the raid while we are conducting an investigation, but if proven na hindi sila guilty ibalik sila sa kanilang position,” Villafor said.
Recovered from the Barrios house were two .38 revolvers, a .9mm pistol, a riffle sub-machine gun, a grenade, ammunition, and magazines.
Nelly, wife of Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Barrios of the Philippine Army’s 301st Brigade and brother of Neptalie, alleged the police planted the firearms.
Barrios was on duty at the time his brother was arrested.
The raid was carried out following a strafing incident in Barangay Braulan, San Enrique town on July 30. The Barrios family was tagged as suspects.
The 13-year-old child of Bryan and Ledylie Gonzales and 22-year-old Joy Paturara were wounded from the strafing.
Multiple frustrated murder charges were filed against the brothers.
“Raid was done accordingly”
On the other hand, Villaflor said the implementation of two search warrants against the Barrios brothers was in accordance with the police operational procedure.
The police ordered all house occupants to vacate for security reasons.
“It is the fundamental duty of our police officers to secure the lives of the people inside during the police operation at syempre safety rin ng mga tao namin at nag-assume tayo na ang target ay armado,” Villaflor said.
The top cop added that the raid was witnessed by Assistant Prosecutor Hadji Hrotgar Hidlao and Agtabo barangay captain Alejandro Aquino.
The operating team was also equipped with body-worn cameras during the operation.
“The CCTV footage shown by the subject’s family through some media outlets does not tell the whole story of the operation… Walang whitewash sa investigation at kung mag-file ang Barrios family welcome ‘yan, karapatan nila mag-file ng kaso,” Villaflor said./PN
