Another ‘victim’ accuses Caloocan cops of filing trumped-up case vs him
Another alleged victim of the Caloocan City Police Substation 2 officers who arrested Jayson dela Rosa for theft, only to charge him with illegal gambling, has come forward and accused them of doing the same thing to him.
The second victim, identified by the police as Manuel Jazul, was detained at the same time as Dela Rosa, whose son died of leptospirosis after wading through floodwaters to bring him food at the police station.
“We filed a criminal case against these three police officers yesterday. This includes the commander and the two officers Mr. Jazul says arrested him,” Caloocan City police chief Col. Joey Goforth said in a press briefing on Wednesday.
“We charged the commander, the official, with perjury by direct inducement. The two officers were also charged with perjury, then arbitrary detention because the suspect was imprisoned for several days. Then, another charge is incriminatory machination for the filing of a wrong case,” he added.
According to Goforth, Jazul was initially arrested for allegedly entering a private residence, but the homeowner refused to press charges.
Although Jazul later admitted to entering the house, the arresting officers insisted he violated Presidential Decree No. 1602, the law against illegal gambling.
“They stand by their affidavit that they really did arrest him over [PD] 1602, while our evidence strongly says otherwise,” Goforth said.
Dela Rosa was also initially arrested for another offense on July 22. He was accused of robbing a convenience store, but the shop declined to press charges.
No record
“There was no record of their turnover to the substation. That’s already a violation. Now, the substation commander is denying that he received custody of the suspects,” Northern Police District (NPD) director Brig. Gen. Jerry Protacio said at the same press conference.
Asked where the two detainees were kept, Goforth replied: “We’re entertaining the idea that they were held in the commander’s office.”
On Monday, Dela Rosa filed an administrative complaint before the National Police Commission (Napolcom) against the same three police officers, along with two other personnel from the substation.
It was initially reported that Dela Rosa’s complaint covered only three officers, but the Napolcom included two more personnel after further investigation, according to Goforth.
Dela Rosa also said he intends to file a criminal case against the police officers.
On Tuesday, the NPD announced that the substation commander and his four subordinates had been relieved of their posts.
NPD audit
The NPD, meanwhile, said it would conduct an audit of the detention facilities in its stations and substations in the cities of Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (Camanava).
“We will have an inventory of jail facilities in Camanava. This will allow us to see who have been arrested at these stations, how many were freed [and] how many have been charged,” Protacio said.
He added that he also ordered Caloocan police substations to immediately send arrested suspects to the city’s police headquarters for detention and investigation.
“They can no longer detain those they arrest at their substations. They should be brought to the Caloocan station, along with their investigators. They should go to the Caloocan headquarters.”
According to Goforth, the city has 15 substations: six in South Caloocan and nine in North Caloocan.
