Puerto Princesa police chief axed

Marion Balonglong —LASPINASCITY.GOV.PH

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan, Philippines — Col. Marion Balonglong was relieved as chief of the Puerto Princesa City Police Office (PPCPO) on Friday two days after he was linked to the alleged illegal arrest and maltreatment of eight forest guards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) personnel and two barangay tanods (village watchmen) in the city.

The relief order issued by Police Gen. Archie Gamboa, the Philippine National Police chief, came a day after Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu called for a “swift resolution” of the incident that happened in Barangay Matahimik of the city on Wednesday.

“It is totally unacceptable that these environmental enforcers who continue to perform their duties despite the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic have to suffer violence at the hands of the police, who should be assisting them in their operations,” Cimatu said in a statement.

Gamboa, in a separate statement on Saturday, said Balonglong will face an investigation on the accusation of police brutality while conducting the arrest of the forest guards.

“The allegations against Balonglong are serious and his relief is an administrative action to preclude any possibility of undue influence in the ongoing investigation,” Gamboa said.

Balonglong, a former chief of the Las Piñas City police, had previously been relieved from his post in the National Capital Region city along with 36 members of his station’s Drug Enforcement Unit after they were linked to an abduction-extortion case of an arrested drug suspect in 2018.

He will be replaced in his post here by Police Col. Sergio Vivar Jr., the chief of the personnel management office of the PNP-Mimaropa regional office. Vivar is expected to assume the PPCPO post on Monday.

Dismayed

Lawyer Arnel Pedrosa, this city’s administrator, said they were dismayed by the maltreatment of the forest guards and the village watchmen and welcomed Balonglong’s relief.

“We are not happy of course and the city government will not tolerate any wrongdoing,” Pedrosa said.

Three Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) foresters, four forest rangers and one forest protection officer along with two barangay watchmen were conducting an investigation on the illegal occupation and massive mangrove cutting at Sitio Bucana of Barangay Matahimik when they were intercepted by a group of policemen led by Balonglong.

The DENR team initially thought Balonglong’s group was the police security they requested to assist them in their operation until they were suddenly subjected to full body search and told to lie down on the ground.

After the body search, all ten of them were ordered to board a police vehicle, which brought them to a vacant lot supposedly owned by Balonglong.

Kicked and punched

The police chief allegedly made one of the forest rangers, Roldan Alvarez, kneel while he and his companions were being interrogated about their purpose in going to the mangrove site.

Balonglong, while allegedly holding a gun, allegedly repeatedly kicked and punched Alvarez, whom the former accused of stealing galvanized iron sheets.

The ten men were later brought to the police station in Barangay San Pedro where Cenro officer Felizardo Cayatoc, who approved of the mangrove inspection, pleaded for their release.

Balonglong ordered their release only after a long dialogue with Cayatoc and after the latter agreed to sign a document stating that the DENR personnel were “in good mental and physical condition” when they were turned over to him, according to a DENR statement issued on Friday. In reality, Alvarez sustained wounds and bruises due to Balonglong’s alleged beating, the statement said.

Unfortunate incident

The DENR Lawyers Guild Inc. (DENRLGI), in a separate statement, condemned the “unfortunate” incident, considering that the PNP is supposed to be the DENR’s partner in enforcing environmental laws in the province. “What is more distressing is that this incident happened on June 10, the DENR’s 33rd anniversary,” said Lawyer Camilo Garcia, president of the DENRLGI.

Levi Evangelista, information officer of the Iwahig Penal Prison Farm (IPPF), confirmed there were illegal settlers at the parcels of land in Barangay Matahimik that IPPF has been claiming to be part of its territory.

He said several operations were conducted in the past to evict settlers who were deforesting the area but they kept on coming back.