7 cops suspended over illegal arrest of suspects in Bohol mayor’s slay

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines — The Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the three-month suspension of seven policemen who were accused of illegally arresting three suspects in the 2017 slay of Mayor Gisela Boniel of Bien Unido town in Bohol province.

Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer Myra dela Rama-Gargaceran found sufficient grounds to penalize the seven policemen for simple misconduct.

The resolution, which was released to reporters on Monday, was based on the complaints filed by Bryan Sayson, Lobo Boniel and Wilson Hoylar who claimed that they were arrested by the policemen even if their names were not in the arrest warrant issued by the court.

Gargaceran’s ruling was approved by Deputy Ombudsman for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices Cyril Ramos and Ombudsman Samuel Martires.

The Ombudsman directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to serve the suspension against the policemen who used to be assigned in the Central Visayas regional police headquarters here.

Reconsideration

Suspended were Police Col. Jonathan Cabal, former chief of the Regional Intelligence Division-Central Visayas; Police Staff Master Sgt. Alexander Garcia; Master Sergeants Lloyd Garcia, Angelo Nayve Avenido and Ally Bornillo; and Corporals Emmanuel Pagalan Jr. and Frederic Enriquez.

Sought for comment, Cabal said they would ask the Ombudsman to reconsider its decision, saying they complied with all the requirements in arresting the complainants.

“In fact, a separate case for arbitrary detention filed by the complainants against us was dismissed by the court in Bohol because the arrest of the three suspects were valid,” he said.

Cabal remained hopeful that the Ombudsman would reconsider its decision.

“We were just doing our [job]. I hope the Ombudsman will see the merit of our motion for reconsideration and resolve our pleading as soon as possible,” said Cabal, who is now with the Eastern Visayas police office.

Futile search

Gisela, also a commercial pilot, was allegedly shot in the head by her husband and former provincial board member, Niño, before the suspects dumped her into the sea on June 7, 2017.

One of the suspects, Riolito “Etad” Boniel, told police that he operated the boat where the slain mayor was loaded. He accompanied authorities and divers to the part of the sea where he said they threw the body.

For three weeks, divers scoured the waters near Caubian Island in Lapu-Lapu City, but did not find Gisela’s body. The police stopped the search since divers could no longer go down beyond the depth of 60.9 meters (200 feet).Niño is facing parricide charges in court while the other suspects were charged with murder.