Preliminary investigation panel formed for Ozamiz ‘rubout’

Ozamiz rob gang leader Rick Cadavero with his police escorts just hours before he was killed allegedly in an ambush Monday night in San Pedro, Laguna. INQUIRER/ MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

SAN PEDRO, Laguna—The Laguna prosecutor’s office formed a special panel on Tuesday for a preliminary investigation to determine if there is probable cause to bring more than a dozen police officers to trial in connection with the alleged rubout of two leaders of the notorious Ozamiz gang.

Laguna public prosecutor George Dee created the three-member panel “to expedite” the case against Superintendent Danilo Mendoza and 15 other members of the Regional Special Operations Group in the Calabarzon region consisting of the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon.

Assistant provincial prosecutor Francis Reyes was tasked to lead the panel, which is composed of assistant prosecutors Milaflor Mancia and Joyce Barut.

The Calabarzon Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed charges of murder, perjury and obstruction of justice against the police officers at the prosecutor’s office here on July 24.

The charges, endorsed by Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, resulted from an internal investigation conducted by the Philippine National Police, which confirmed that no firefight actually took place when Ozamiz gang leader Ricky Cadavero and his henchman, Wilfredo Panogalinga Jr, were killed while in police custody on July 15.

“As to questions whether there was strong evidence [against the policemen], we cannot say yet. We are not siding with anyone right now,” Dee said in a telephone interview.

He said subpoenas would be issued to the policemen not later than next week. The respondents would be ordered to submit counter-affidavits 10 days from the time they receive copies of the complaint against them.