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Pres. Duterte Says General Bato To Stay As PNP Chief, He Has My Complete Trust And Confidence


President Rodrigo Roa Duterte brushed aside calls for Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa to resign over the murder of a Korean kidnap victim inside police headquarters at Camp Crame.

“He stays there. Bato has my complete trust and confidence,” President Duterte said, referring to PNP Chief Dela Rosa by his nickname.

President Duterte has ordered Chief Dela Rosa to prosecute the rogue policemen who kidnapped then strangled Hanjin Executive Jee Ick Joo inside Camp Crame in October 2016.

“He must identify those policemen who are into this kind of activity,” President Duterte said. “And I can assure you, everybody involved will be prosecuted.”

President Duterte’s expression of confidence came after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said some policemen involved in criminal cases and placed under PNP custody have gone missing.

One of these, Sec. Aguirre said, was PO1 Jonjie Manon-og of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG), who was accused of killing motorist John dela Riarte in July 2016.

“The HPG received a copy of the arrest warrant last January 18 but up to now he has not been found. We don’t know where he is,” Sec. Aguirre said in an interview.

Sec. Aguirre asked the PNP to comply with the court order, especially since Manon-og was supposed to be under restrictive custody due to separate murder and robbery charges against him.

“The PNP or whoever has custody of the accused is duty bound to produce him,” Sec. Aguirre said.

Public Attorney’s Office Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta, who provided legal assistance to the victim’s family, said she would coordinate with the PNP for the HPG man’s arrest.

Chief Acosta lamented that despite the arrest warrant issued January 12, Manon-og remained at large.

The two arrest orders issued by the Makati RTC branches 145 (for murder) and 138 (for robbery) against the accused were served to the Quezon City police district and PNP headquarters in Camp Crame.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) earlier indicted Manon-og after finding in preliminary investigation that he and the other arresting HPG officer, PO3 Jeremiah De Villa, shot Dela Riarte inside their police mobile after arresting the motorist following a traffic altercation along EDSA in Makati City.

The handcuffed victim died of multiple gunshot wounds in the chest, abdomen and right thigh.

Manon-og was also indicted for robbery after it was found that the victim had Php 30,000 in cash with him during the incident.

In a hearing in August 2016, De Villa and Manon-og denied allegations and claimed that Dela Riarte twice attempted to snatch their firearms.

However, a day after formally denying the charges against him at the DOJ, De Villa died after jumping off the roof of a building in Camp Crame.

Under criminal procedures, deceased respondents are automatically absolved of criminal liabilities.

Source: Newswatch
Pres. Duterte Says General Bato To Stay As PNP Chief, He Has My Complete Trust And Confidence Pres. Duterte Says General Bato To Stay As PNP Chief, He Has My Complete Trust And Confidence Reviewed by Yen on January 24, 2017 Rating: 5

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