Tagbilaran, Panglao cops accused of protecting main suspect

CEBU CITY—Police in Tagbilaran City and Panglao town, Bohol province, face investigation after a businesswoman accused them of protecting her son-in-law who was tagged as mastermind in the killing of an environmental lawyer last week.

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, Central Visayas police chief, said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Visayas would investigate the complaint of Conrada Blomqvist against police in Tagbilaran and Panglao.

“We will turn over this to the CIDG,” Taliño said.

Blomqvist met Taliño on Tuesday to file the complaint against the police for allegedly protecting her son-in-law Lloyd Gonzaga, suspect in the killing of Mia Manuelita Mascarinas-Green, who is also Blomqvist’s legal counsel in a land dispute with Gonzaga.

Green was shot in front of her three children while driving them home on Feb. 15.

Blomqvist said Green was caught in the middle of her dispute with Gongaza over ownership of a van and Alona Embrace Hotel in Panglao Island.

She said she repeatedly asked police in Panglao for help after getting death threats from Gonzaga but she was ignored.

Panglao policemen, she said, got free meals and rooms at the Alona.

Blomqvist also sought the help of Supt. Nicomedes Olaivar Jr., Tagbilaran police chief, to no avail.

She said she was not surprised because Gonzaga and Olaivar are friends.

Blomqvist said when she filed a complaint against Gonzaga in Tagbilaran, Olaivar called Gonzaga to give him a heads-up.

Olaivar didn’t directly respond to the allegations raised by Blomqvist. Instead, he urged her to trust the police.

“Conrada should put back her trust and confidence in the government,” he said. —WITH A REPORT FROM LEO UDTOHAN