BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The National Police Commission (Napolcom) upheld its decision dismissing from the service a police captain and five other cops over the Dec. 19, 2017 arrest of then Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental vice mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo and husband Felix Mathias Feria Yulo.
An order dated March 4, 2022 and signed by Atty. Chito Bustonera, acting staff service chief for Napolcom’s Legal Affairs Service, found Police Captain Allan Reloj, Police Master Sergeant Ricardo Campos Digcong Jr., Police Corporals Nobel Perante and Felix Pesales Jr., and Police Patrolmen Michael Mondido and Darryl Dormido culpable for “grave misconduct and grave irregularities in the performance of duty.”
In ordering the six cops dismissed from the service, Napolcom cited the aggravating circumstance of being found guilty of two or more charges or counts.
Reloj and the five other cops were accused of conducting an illegal checkpoint, performing unlawful arrest upon the Yulo couple, and performing an illegal search and seizure of the vehicle of the couple. According to Napolcom, this violated the 2013 Philippine National Police (PNP) Police Operational Procedures and Napolcom Memorandum Circular No. 2016-002.
What happened, the Napolcom believed, was “election-related” and that the same was a form of “political harassment”.
Reloj and the five other cops claimed that the checkpoint they conducted was in compliance to a memorandum issued by then Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) director Police Colonel Rodolfo Castil to establish border control checkpoints due to terror threats coming from the New People’s Army (NPA).
The respondents claimed the Felix Yulo was acting suspicious which was why they flagged down the couple’s vehicle. Reloj claimed that when he went to the driver’s side of the vehicle, Felix had a handgun on his lap, prompting him (R Eloj) to order Felix step out of the vehicle.
Reloj further claimed that Felix’s wife Ella started screaming at him and also stepped outside the vehicle, and started berating the police chief, and that he was assaulted by the vice mayor.
At that point, the respondents claimed seizing Felix’s .45 caliber pistol. An alleged search of the vehicle also supposedly led to the recovery of another .45 caliber pistol, ammunition, two hand grenades, and two sachets of suspected shabu.
The Yulo couple was later charged with illegal possession of firearms and explosives, as well as possession of illegal drugs.
A pre-charge investigation on two formal charges of “grave misconduct” and “grave Irregularities in the performance of duty” pointed out that the respondents were wearing civilian clothes and had bonnets covering on their faces, and the barangay tanods who joined the checkpoint were carrying firearms.
The Napolcom added in its implementation order that accordingly, the accessory penalties of cancellation of the police eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, except accrued leave credits, and perpetual disqualification from holding public office, were to be imposed on the respondents.
Earlier on Oct. 21, 2020, Department of Interior and Local Government secretary and Napolcom chairman Eduardo Año ordered the dismissal of the six cops after they were found culpable for “grave misconduct” and “grave irregularities in the performance of duty.”
Aside from Año, the dismissal document was also signed by Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Atty. Rogelio Casurao, and commissioners Felizardo Serapio Jr., Atty. Job Mangente, Zenonida Brosas, and retired Police General Camilo Cascolan./PN
