DOJ chief orders probe of Iloilo prosecutors
Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. has ordered an investigation on allegations that Iloilo provincial prosecutors have unjustly dismissed complaints against suspected drug pushers.
Regional State Prosecutor Domingo Laurea Jr. said Gonzalez instructed him to check on the complaints of Iloilo policemen and allegations on the dismissal of complaints against drug suspects from Balasan town in Iloilo.
Laurea said that he has formed an investigating committee that he will chair and with Iloilo City Prosecutor Peter Baliao and Capiz Provincial Prosecutor Rudolfo Beloso as members.
“We will start our investigation next week,” Laurea said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.
Governor Niel Tupas Sr. earlier ordered the removal of the province's subsidies to provincial prosecutors including travel allowances, per diem and operation expenses amounting to around P1.7 million annually.
The governor alleged that the provincial prosecutors office have been unjustly dismissing complaints against suspected drug pushers who have been arrested by policemen.
In a letter to Provincial Prosecutor Bernabe Dusaban dated January 9, 2009, provincial administrator Manuel Mejorada said the governor has ordered an indefinite stop to the release of the subsidy “because of this seeming predisposition of the Provincial Prosecutors Office to dismiss illegal drug cases.”
Mejorada said that the governor received complaints from police chiefs of the province during a meeting on January 6 on the dismissal of complaints against the suspected drug pushers after the suspects were arrested by policemen.
Among the cases highlighted by policemen were those filed against Henry Caspillo and Rolly Tiope in Balasan.
Tupas also revealed that police found the names and telephone numbers of “Losaban” and “Obsequie”, purportedly belonging to provincial prosecutors, in the wallet of Caspillo when he was arrested.
Dusaban in an earlier interview denied that his office has unjustly dismissed cases against suspected drug pushers. He said the accusations against them were “baseless.”
He said his office filed cases on most of the complaints submitted to their office.
Records showed that from January 2003 to December 31, 2008, 209 drug cases were received by the provincial prosecutors office for inquest proceedings or preliminary investigation. The office filed 193 cases before courts and dismissed 23 others.
Gonzalez in an an earlier interview scored the removal of subsidy of the Iloilo province for provincial prosecutors claiming it was “politically-motivated.”
“Obviously, there is politics here,” Gonzalez said in a telephone interview.
He said the camp of Tupas perceives Dusaban as against the governor because the prosecutor is allegedly a relative of 4th District Rep. Ferjenel Biron.
“(Tupas) is getting back at Dusaban,” said Gonzalez.
The governor who finishes his third and final term next year is reportedly planning to run against Biron. This was bolstered by the recent change of residency of Tupas from Barotac Viejo to Banate town in Biron's district.
Gonzalez also dismissed the accusations against the provincial prosecutors.
“It's baseless. Anything can be concocted,” said Gonzalez.
He said by removing the subsidy for prosecutors, Tupas is “hindering public service.”
But Mejorada said politics has nothing to do with the move of the governor.
“Gov. Tupas is also a relative of Dusaban. Biron is not the provincial prosecutors office, and whatever political rivalry may exist between him and Gov. Tupas would never cause the latter to do something that would have an impact on the public welfare,” said Mejorada in a statement.