Iloilo City dad files complaint vs city police chief, 16 cops
ILOILO CITY — An Iloilo City councilor has filed an administrative complaint at the Ombudsman against the city police chief and 16 other police officers concerning the arrest of his security escorts.
In an 11-page complaint filed on Wednesday at the Ombudsman Iloilo field office, Councilor Plaridel Nava II accused Senior Supt. Martin Defensor, Iloilo City police director, and the other respondents of committing grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of public service.
Also named respondents were Supt. Superintendents Godfrey Buslotan and Jonathan Pablito, Chief Insp. Marlon Valencia, SPO2 Edward Barrida and Jessie Jim Rubio; SPO1 Vernie Escorial, PO3 Richard Ivan Lopez, Oliver Lonasco, Ricardo Morante, Joel Novera and Vincent Angelo Hongco; PO2 Cyril Maestre, John Marcel San Pedro, Melvin Niño, Enrico Gonzales, and Peter Organia.
Nava sought the respondents’ dismissal from public service, forfeiture of all their benefits and perpetual disqualification from holding government office.
The complaint stemmed from the arrest on Jan. 7 of brothers Julius and Roy de Los Reyes who served as Nava’s security escorts.
They were tagged in the Jan. 4 killing of Mercedes “Ging-Ging” Nava, a first cousin and vocal critic of the councilor.
Mercedes earlier accused the councilor of being among those behind the alleged fake signature campaign against the Panay Electric Company.
The councilor has repeatedly denied any involvement in the killing of Mercedes.
In his complaint against the members of the Iloilo City Police Office, Nava said the arrest of his security escorts was “illegal and void.”
He said the arrest could not be considered part of hot pursuit operations because it was implemented three days after the killing and the policemen had no personal knowledge of the alleged involvement of his bodyguards.
In an earlier interview, Defensor insisted that the arrest was legitimate and they were only performing their duties.
He said it was up to the court to determine the legality of the arrests.
He also dismissed Nava’s assertion that the guns and grenade allegedly recovered from the councilor’s bodyguards were planted.
“I personally arrested one of the suspects inside the councilor’s office. We don’t plant firearms,” Defensor said earlier./lzb
