19 cops to be charged for grenade blast inside Sta. Cruz station

DAVAO CITY, Feb 11, 2015 (PIA) Top officer of the Regional Internal Affairs Service Office of the Police Regional Office in Davao Region has charged 19 police officers including the chief of police of Sta. Cruz Municipal Police Office in Davao del Sur for grave misconduct while two among them face either murder or homicide charges.

He said their investigation found probable cause to sue members of the Sta. Cruz Municipal Police Office for the grenade explosion that killed two persons and wounding four others in January 22.

Senior Superintendent Pedro Cabatingan, chief of the RIAS 11 told reporters at the AFP-PNP Press Corps briefing that the 19 police officers face grave misconduct charges for violating the operational procedure in conducting arrest.

He said the responding cops conducted indeed the arrest of the primary courier of the hand grenades but there was no thorough search made on him.
Cabatingan said that even if initially, several grenades were confiscated from the suspect, he still managed to hide one grenade which was not discovered since the frisking was not thorough enough, a requirement in the police operation procedure in the conduct of body search.

“This alone constitutes the violation of the Rule 13 of the Police Operation Procedure which is improper conduct of search,” he said.
Cabatingan said the suspect who was allegedly mentally ill hid the grenade in his underwear and was able to explode it inside the police station despite efforts to negotiate with him to surrender the explosive safely.

He said despite the elimination of threat after the grenade explosion, two responding cops still opened fire on the suspect, consequently killing him in the process.

“It constituted a violation of law which is murder or homicide, depending on the presentation of pieces of evidence in court, because there was no more threat from the suspect.   Even then it was tantamount to grave misconduct,” Cabatingan said.

He stressed that grave misconduct has a penalty of dismissal from the service if the respondent is found guilty.

Cabatingan said Chief Inspector Grace De Castro station commander at the time of the incident, being the head of the police office is one of the 18 respondents to the charges.

Senior Superintendent Michael John Dubria, director of the Davao del Sur Police Office identified the fatalities as the suspect Reynaldo Salang, 56, a former Scout Ranger of the Philippine Army, resident of the same province; and retired Senior Police Officer 3 (SPO3) David Bacon.

Injured were retired Police Officer 2 FlorantePantaleon, PO2 Rey Esposo, PO2 Noeh Casas, PO3 LudivicoTaban, and SPO3 Rey Navarro, all members of the Sta. Cruz Municipal Police Station.  (PIA 11-Joey Sem G. Dalumpines)