Multiple charges were filed by a Bacoleño and his four companions against 19 Bago City policemen and the Regional Public Safety Management Battalion in Brgy. Dulao before the office of the Deputy Ombudsman Visayas for the Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices.

One of the respondents, Police Officer 3 Napoleon Espinosa, said yesterday that he received a copy of the complaint Wednesday charging him and other policemen, including former Bago City police chief, Supt. Simeon Gane and Chief Insp. Lino Dalisay of the RPSMB 4th Maneuver platoon, for kidnapping, serious illegal detention and torture.

Also included in the complaint were several other civilians who were given ten days to answer the complaints, and Revolutionary Proletarian Army District 4 Commander Rene Campos, Espinosa also said.

The charges were filed by Demetrio Despojo of Brgy. Punta Taytay, Bacolod, Roque and Reynaldo Vinco both of Brgy. Balangisag and Barter Mansesa of Brgy. Poblacion, Bago and Jojin Calisor of Pontevedra after the joint operatives of Bago City police, RPSMB and the RPA arrested them in Brgy. Antipuluhan.

Despojo and his companions claimed that the policemen illegally arrested and detained them in May last year in Hacienda Aurelio, Brgy. Antipuluhan, and they were not allowed to seek the help of their legal counsels. They were threatened with guns, they claimed.

Espinosa, however, said they arrested Despojo and his companions on the complaints of about 30 farm laborers in the 148-hectare land in Hacienda Aurelio who claimed that they threatened and coerced them.

He denied that they threatened the complainants and that they asked them if they could go with them peacefully.

Espinosa also said the charges against him and the other policemen are just harassment since they had filed complaints for threat and coercion against the complainants.*APN

back to top