ORMOC CITY- Two top officials of the Ormoc City police station and eight others were sacked from their posts after a buy-bust operations turned deadly in this city on April 8.
However, the relief of the police men should not be construed that they were guilty over the incident that killed three persons, Ormoc City Police Director Senior Supt. Jose Macanas said.
Killed were Dr. Jay Movilla, Wilfredo Alberto, an employee of the city government of Ormoc and Sim Serrano, the subject of the anti-drug operation.
The relieved of Inspector Edgar Encina, his deputy, Inspector Harris Rebato and eight other policemen from Police Station 3 was just part of the standard operating procedure to give way for an investigation, Macanas stressed.
The group of Encina conducted a buy-bust operation in Barangay Tambulilid, this city, on April 8 around 4 p.m. against Serrano, said to be one of the most-known drug dealers in the city.
A policeman, acting as a buyer-poseur, handed Serrano a P500 marked money. However, the suspect sensed that he was being laid in a sting operation, ran away towards the nearby cockpit which was then full of people as there was an ongoing cockfight.
“He was firing his gun indiscriminately while he was running towards the direction of the cockpit and the policemen, who were running after him, have no choice but to fire back. This resulted to a commotion inside the cockpit which unfortunately resulted to the death of the suspect and two other civilians,” the Ormoc city police director said.
Killed on the spot were Serrano and Alberto with Movilla declared dead on arrival while being treated at the OSPA Farmer’s Medical Center.
Six others were wounded and brought to different hospitals.
Injured were identified as Alex Oliveros, Melodia Mangubat, Joey Liporda, Rene Ejares, Gonzalo Menderos and Rodolfo Villar, 63 all of them are from the city’s villages.
Recovered from the scene was a caliber 45 gun said to be owned by the suspect and a 38 caliber.
The Scene of the Crime Operatives yielded one sachet of suspected shabu inside Serrano’s pocket, 500-peso bill at his left hand and gun holster tucked at his waist.
No one was hurt from the police.
Macanas declared it was a legitimate operation duly coordinated with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency. For what happened, he expressed apology and deep grief over the death of innocent persons and those wounded.
A paraffin test was conducted to all police men involved as well as ballistic test on their firearms. (ELVIE ROMAN-ROA)
