Marantan accuses PNP chief of prejudging his case

Supt. Hansel Marantan, the ground commander in the Jan. 6 shootout in Atimonan, Quezon, insists the operation was not a rubout during an interview at St. Luke’s Medical Center at the Global City in Taguig. MARICAR P. CINCO / INQUIRER SOUTHERN LUZON FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Beleaguered Police Supt. Hansel Marantan, the ground commander of the operation in Atimonan, Quezon, that killed 13 alleged members of a gun-for-hire group last month, has accused Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Alan Purisima of prejudging the administrative case filed against him, and has asked the National Police Commission (Napolcom) to take over the investigation.

Through their lawyers, Marantan and a corespondent, SPO1 Arturo Sarmiento, asked the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of PNP and the members of the Summary Hearing Board to inhibit themselves from investigating the administrative case filed against them.

In a five-page “urgent motion,” the two policemen asked that the pertinent documents in the case be transferred immediately to the Napolcom.

“The IAS,” the two pointed out, is under the PNP chief and Purisima “has already prejudged the case,” citing an interview by the Inquirer with Purisima which was published on Feb. 2.

Core of the case

Marantan and Sarmiento said the IAS could no longer act with “impartiality in view of the public pronouncements, prejudging and premature declarations made by the Chief PNP on the supposed guilt of the respondents, that there was no shootout and there was violation of the police operation procedures.”

The two said that this was “the very core of the administrative case” before the IAS.

Marantan and Sarmiento cited Purisima’s interview with the Inquirer which quoted the PNP chief as saying he had doubts on the initial report of a shootout between government security forces and the alleged gun-for-hire group led by Victor “Vic” Siman.

PNP spokesperson, Chief Supt. Generoso Cerbo, said that Marantan, being a policeman, “is still under the control of the PNP.”

“Let’s see what the (decision) on his motion would be, if what he is saying has merit. But the IAS is the unit that investigates cases (against policemen)…If (Marantan) has a motion, let’s see what’s the decision of the IAS or the Chief PNP,” Cerbo said.