2 Agusan ‘Tokhang’ officers found guilty

By BEN SERRANO
Correspondent

THE Office of the Ombudsman has found two police officers guilty in the 2016 killing of a man accused of being involved in illegal drugs in Agusan del Norte.

Their alleged victim, 32-year old Expedito Melencion of Barangay Mahayahay, Kitcharao, Agusan del Norte, had tested negative for drug use, and the ombudsman said the evidence against him were planted.

Melencion was killed in October 2016 during the early stages of the Duterte administration’s bloody “war on drugs” and the National Police’s “Oplan Tokhang” campaign. Since last year, President Duterte has repeatedly been prodding the police to shoot and kill drug suspects if the suspects fought back and if the officers felt their lives were being threatened.

In a Feb. 28 resolution, a copy of which was secured by this paper this week, the ombudsman ordered the filing of charges of murder, planting of evidence, grave misconduct, abuse of authority and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service against PO2 Daryle Alonzo and PO2 Larry Precioso of the Kitcharao town police.

However, Office of the Ombudsman acting director Yvette Marie Evaristo, who signed the two-page resolution, said the two officers were allowed to file a motion for reconsideration within five days from receipt of the ruling. She said the ombudsman would disallow a motion to dismiss the case or a motion for bills of particulars.

Alonzo and Precioso have alleged that Melencion tried to escape and fought back, forcing them to shoot the man because he supposedly endangered them.

But the ombudsman said Melencion was unarmed, and he was already overpowered and pinned down by the two law enforcers, making it unthinkable for the suspect to fight it out with the arresting officers who were armed.

A confirmatory drug test by a police laboratory that showed the suspect negative for drug use also factored in the ombudsman’s ruling in favor of the case filed by the family of Melecion.

Meanwhile, a former Army soldier was killed in an anti-illegal drugs operation in Purok 5, Barangay San Ignacio, Trento in Agusan del Sur on Thursday morning.

Trento police chief Niel Ben Rufon identified the ex-soldier as Glenn Labrador, 42, of Barangay San Isidro in Trento.

Insp. Rufon said he and his men were serving a search warrant against alleged drug suspect Daniel Janing, 50, and another when Labrador fired shots at them.

Rufon claimed the police merely returned fire. Labrador died after being shot to the face.

Rufon alleged that Labrador had gone AWOL, was into drugs, and was allegedly a “high-value target” when he was still serving in the military in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.