Dismissed officers in Yabut slay still reporting to Alagar

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

DESPITE a dismissal order from the Office of the Ombudsman for grave misconduct, Senior Insp. Ludwig Charles Espera and Insp. Arnel Gighe are still doing police work at Camp Vicente Alagar in Lapasan, this city.

This, even as the Office of the Ombudsman issued the dismissal orders against the two officers in June 16.

Police regional director Chief Supt. Lyndel Desquitado confirmed yesterday this yesterday.

Espera and Gighe are two of the suspects in the December 2014 shooting of Ma. Erika Yabut and  her boyfriend Jim Jamaca in FS Catanico, this city.

The Ombudsman found Espera and Gighe guilty of grave misconduct after former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) for northern Mindanao Senior Supt. Alexander Tagum and CIDG Cagayan de Oro head Insp. Melgar Devaras filed the complaint on the standoff at the Cogon Police Station on Dec. 12, 2014.

Desquitado said Espera and Gighe are still considered “on-duty” until they receive an order from Camp Crame in Manila.

According to Desquitado, they are still waiting for a “special order” from Chief Supt. Dominador Aquino Jr., the head of Personnel and Management Division at Camp Crame. Aquino’s order, Desquitado added, would start the “implementation” of the Ombudsman’s dismissal order for the two police officers.

“Kon ako mang madawat ang order ni Chief Supt. Dominador Aquino to implement the order from the Ombudsman,  then  akong i-serve ang ilang dismissal order ni Espere ug Gighe,” said Desquitado.

Both officers have been assigned to the Personnel Support Unit in Camp Alagar after they were able to post bail for the murder and frustrated murder charges filed by Jim Jamaca. Jamaca has alleged that both cops were involved in the killing of  Yabut in FS Catanico on Dec. 11, 2014.

In another development, Senior Insp. Joel Nacua, Gilbert Rollien, and Insp. Bernard Colegio of the city’s police office are also still on duty inspite of a three-month suspension order from the Ombudsman’s office.

Cagayan de Oro City Police Office chief Senior Supt. Faro Antonio Olaguera told this paper that like in Espera and Gighe’s case, they would also wait for an implementing order from Camp Crame.

The three officers’ suspension rose from simple misconduct complaints filed by both Tagum and Devaras.

Tagum and Devaras filed the complaints after Nacua, Rollien, and Colegio allegedly failed to keep Espera and Gighe in line when the latter drew their guns on Tagum and Devaras during the standoff at the Cogon Police Station. (nitz arancon)