PNP chief denies dismissal of charges vs Ilocos Sur cops tagged in teen girl slay

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police chief Gen. Camilo Cascolan on Monday dispelled rumors circulating on social media that the administrative cases against two police officers tagged in the killing of a 15-year-old girl in Ilocos Sur have been dismissed.

In a press briefing at Camp Crame, Cascolan branded such rumors as “fake news.”

“I would like to debunk another patently fake news circulating in social media on the purported dismissal of administrative cases against Sgt. Randy Ramos and Sgt. Marawi Torda, both indicted for the murder of a 17-year-old victim of a sex crime in Ilocos Sur,” he said.

“The fact is the Internal Affairs Service has resolved the administrative case against the two respondents for ‘conduct unbecoming of a police officer’ with the penalty of dismissal from the service,” he added.

Both Ramos and Torda are undergoing summary hearing for murder, said the PNP chief, as he assured that “misconduct and breach of discipline have no place in PNP.”

Complaints for murder were earlier filed against Ramos and Torda after the 15-year-old girl, who lodged a complaint for acts of lasciviousness against Torda, was later shot dead by two motorcycle-riding gunmen in Cabugao last July 2.

Ramos is also facing a rape complaint filed by the 18-year-old cousin of the murdered victim.

Reports from the Cabugao Municipal Police Station showed that the two girls were arrested for violation of curfew and “were very drunk when the two policemen allegedly took advantage of them.”

JE