‘Station 8 policemen not involved in
manhandling of bar customer’

Bacolod City Police Station 8 chief, Senior Insp. Jerick Filosofo, denied reports that his personnel were involved in the manhandling of a bar customer at the Goldenfield Commercial Complex Saturday, Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, BCPO director, said yesterday.

Two witnesses claimed in an interview with ABS-CBN Bacolod Tuesday that they saw several Station 8 members, two of them women, manhandling and undressing a bar customer.

They added that when they went to Station 8 to report the incident, no one was on duty to blotter their complaint.

In his report to De la Paz on Wednesday, Filosofo said that at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Police Officer 3 Noel Capablanca and Police Officers 2 Ferdie Viñas, Art Zureta and Jonjie Osunero were on their way to Brgy. Pahanocoy to respond to a call for assistance, when their colleague, PO2 Dareen Aguas, sought their help as a commotion took place at Goldenfields.

They learned that PO1 Ryan Encarnacion, a member of the Public Safety Management Battalion, was assaulted by a group of men at about 2:45 a.m. in front of a KTV bar, Filosofo said.

He added that before the mauling of Encarnacion, Aguas was with her daughter at the Goldenfields at about 2:30 a.m., and texted PO2 Erden de la Cruz, who was at the complex vicinity, PO2 Johlex Lagtapon, who was detailed at Casino Filipino, and Encarnacion, whom Aguas met earlier in the vicinity, “and requested them if they could fetched her and her daughter home, using their motorcycle…”

Filosofo said that while Encarnacion was walking in front of the bar, he noticed a group of men creating alarm and scandal, prompting him to scold them. He added that one of the men boxed Encarnacion then others started mauling him.

The men fled when the group of Aguas and other policemen came to Encarnacion’s aid, Filosofo added.*APN

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Cops ordered to intensify operation
against vehicle burglars in Bacolod

The chiefs of police stations in Bacolod were ordered yesterday by Senior Supt. Ricardo de la Paz, city police director, to intensify patrol visibility in their areas following successive incidents of car burglaries.

Police records show that the vehicle of an engineer was forced open by unidentified suspects who took several items recently; while on Wednesday noon, a car parked at San Juan Street was also burglarized and a laptop computer, worth P35,000, stolen.

Five vehicles parked in different areas of Bacolod were also forced open and about P100,000 worth of valuables were taken two weeks ago, the police added.

De la Paz said that while these cases are not alarming, the police should boost their intelligence efforts to monitor and neutralize the suspects.

He said the PNP has a six-strike policy, where intelligence officers will be relieved if heinous crimes committed in their areas of responsibility remain unresolved.

Investigation showed that burglars have a spotter of the car they want to victimize, who check for valuables left in the vehicle. The suspects’ van will then be parked beside it and the window smashed to get the items, De la Paz said.

The suspects are professional thieves as they know how to steal the items without triggering the alarm system of the vehicle, he added.*APN

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Body fished from
Estefania river

The body of a 41-year-old man, who reportedly suffered from epilepsy, was fished out of a river near his house in Brgy. Estefania, Bacolod City, at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.

Police Officer 2 Rey Escañan, case investigator, identified the fatality as Allan Pastrana of Villa Felicidad in Estefania.

Investigation showed that Pastrana was last seen washing his clothes in the river. His body was later found floating in the river by his brother Generoso, 38.

Station 4 chief, Senior Insp. Dianne Aquitania, said the family of Pastrana was no longer interested to have his body undergo an autopsy as they believed there was no foul play in his death.

Last month, the body of an elderly man believed to have suffered a cardiac arrest was also recovered in the river in Brgy. Estefania.*APN

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