2 police officials likely ‘connived’ so Revilla can join Enrile party—CIDG report

CAMERA-SHY, FOR ONCE Revilla (in white shirt, his back turned against camera), detained at the nearby PNP Custodial Center, denies attending the birthday fete of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile (encircled). CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Two police officials are now in hot water for Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla’s side trip to Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s birthday during a hospital check-up last month.

A police general and five others were also absolved of any liability for the controversial visit of the detained Revilla to the Philippine National Police General Hospital last February 14.

Supt. Eugolio Lovello Fabro and Senior Supt. Cecilia Tapaoan were deemed administratively and criminally liable for the incident involving Revilla, who is detained at the PNP custodial center.

Fabro is the officer in charge of the Custodial Service Unit, the office overseeing the custodial center, while Tapaoan was the duty officer of the Headquarters Support Service that day.

“Fabro and Tapaoan seemed to have connived in facilitating the visit of Revilla to Enrile,” read part of the two-page report, signed by CIDG chief Dir. Benjamin Magalong.

The same report absolved HSS head Chief Supt. Alberto Supapo, who was administratively relieved following the incident, as well as PNPGH doctor and spokesperson Chief Insp. Raymond Santos.

The PNP was criticized after Revilla was discovered to have visited Enrile that day at the hospital while Revilla was there for a check-up for his headache and hypertension.

While Revilla initially denied the side trip, photographs submitted to the Sandiganbayan proved otherwise as it showed the senator at Enrile’s gathering at the hospital.

Enrile turned 91 last February 14 and has been under hospital arrest since last year for graft and plunder charges.

An irate Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas ordered an investigation into the side trip.

In a report submitted to PNP officer in charge Dep. Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina last March 2, the CIDG’s MCIU said it got the sworn statements of Fabro, Tapaoan and Santos.

It turned out that Fabro and Tapaoan’s claims contradicted that of Santos, the doctor who checked Revilla’s health at the Specialty Ward and not at the emergency room which is the normal protocol.

Both Tapaoan and Fabro claimed that they coordinated with the PNPGH before bringing Revilla to the hospital for a checkup at around 4:25 pm that day.

Tapaoan initially sought permission from Fabro to bring the senator to the hospital for an emergency checkup.

However, Santos said the two officials asked for his consent “if they can indicate in their report that he instructed them to bring Revilla to the hospital.”

“Granting that Santos directed Tapaoan to bring Revilla to the hospital, she should have brought Revilla to the emergency room, and not to the specialty ward,” the report pointed out.

Santos said he found the senator in the specialty ward and examined him there, instead of the usual protocol that emergency cases be brought to the emergency room.

The diagnosis was that Revilla was suffering from stage 1 hypertension.

In the same report, the MCIU noted a “possible altercation in the photocopied document from the Custodial Service Unit of the HSS.”

This was “as if to make it appear that there was a request for medical check-up for Revilla.”

The investigation also absolved Supapo, the head of the HSS, Santos, and four non-commissioned officers: PO2 Mario Bello; PO2 Rico Padilla; PO2 Dennis delos Santos and PO1 Joelito Olayvar.

The report noted that Supapo and the HSS command “appear to have no direct knowledge about the visit of Revilla to Enrile at the PNPGH.”

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