By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
THE Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) yesterday said it was studying the possibility of a lawsuit against a regional judge who allowed Senior Insp. Charles Ludwig Espera and Insp. Arnel Gighe to bail out.
Espera and Gighe, two of the suspects in the grisly murders of siblings Harold and Roland Jamaca in Mambuaya, and Erica Yabut in FS Catanico here, reported for work at Camp Alagar after their motion for bail was granted by Judge Vincent Rosales of the 23rd branch of the Regional Trial Court Branch (RTC) of Misamis Oriental on Friday.
The CIDH said it was closely coordinating with the Jamaca brothers’ father Rolando and discussing a possible case against Judge Rosales.
CIDG regional director Senior Supt. Romeo Baleros, who just replaced Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum, said, “We are reviewing the case, and if we find there was abuse of discretion by the judge to grant the petition for bail, then we will file a case against him,” said Baleros.
The elder Jamaca earlier decried the court ruling, maintaining that the case against Espera and Gighe was strong given that the two police officials were identified by a survivor.
Baleros said the CIDG would need the consent of the Jamaca family before charges could be filed against the judge for alleged abuse of discretion.
Judge Rosales could not be reached for comment by this writer at presstime but over radio station DxIF yesterday morning, he said he granted the motion for bail filed by Espera and Gighe because of the weak evidence presented in court by Prosecutor Acmad Balindong.
Rosales said Balindong presented Jim Jamaca, the survivor in the Dec. 11, 2014 shootings in FS Catanico, and his testimony was weak.
Jim Jamaca, who lost a hand as a result of the FS Catanico shootings, identified Espera and Gighe, along with PO1 Manuel Quipanes and PO1 Junriel Barrientos, as members of a group that took him and the other victims from a house in Carmen shortly before the murders.
His allegations were the bases of the multiple murder and frustrated murder cases filed against the suspects.
Quipanes and Barrientos are at large at presstime while Espera and Gighe were released from the Lumbia jail after they posted bail.
They reported back to work at Camp Alagar on Monday, according to Supt. Gervacio Balmaceda, the spokesman of the National Police for Region 10.
Police regional director Chief Supt. Lyndel Desquitado ordered Espera and Gighe assigned at Camp Alagar’s Regional Personnel Holding Administrative Unit.
Balmaceda said Espera and Gighe were not supposed to carry guns with them, and they could only do administrative work.
He said the two have also been disallowed to do field work because of their case.
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