Cuevas: ICPO Station 1 chief should be probed, relieved
Almost two weeks after the infamous fracas at Luis Linagaan, nothing came up with the investigation.
Or more likely, as reports have it, no investigation has been done about the incident and the persons involved.
This has certainly earned the ire of PNP Regional Director Chief Supt. Isagani Cuevas who stressed that it should be a standard operating procedure that policemen who were accused of irregularity should be investigated.
“So, there’s nothing very significant there. It should have very insignificant because by now, the chief of police of Police Station one should have been through with the investigation,” Cuevas said.
Iloilo City Police Station (ICPO) Station 1 chief is Senior Insp. Federico Silvestre. It was on his area of responsibility where the alleged gun poking and mauling incidents occurred.
“Kay amo na ina kadugay, dapat siya imbestigahan. He should be investigated for not making any proper action immediately,” the region’s top cop pointed out.
Further, there were some reports that Silvestre did not conduct further investigation as the incident was already settled between the complainants and the involved policeman, PO2 George Sermonia.
Sermonia is on detached service with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU) – VI but he is an organic personnel of ICPO Station 1.
“If that’s his (Silvestre) answer, he should be relieved there. That happens in his area of responsibility. He should have acted on it,” Cuevas further admonished.
The alleged failure of five policemen who responded to the area but failed to arrest anybody should also form of the investigation.
“That is why, we must have an investigation so that we would find out who are the persons that should be held liable on these acts committed by these people,” Cuevas said.
Further, “the fact that he was securing a person and he was committing a violation in the revised penal code and the administrative rules and regulations, he must be properly investigated and immediate sanctions shall be made,” he added.
But the PNP regional chief lamented that until now, “they haven’t made that sanctions. That should have been the call of the chief of police.”
Appropriately, the chief of police should conduct the first action.
“Kung may natabo da, pulis ang involved, immediately conduct sang investigation,” Cuevas said adding, “If there was a violation of the law, arrest him or put him in jail if he violated the Revised Penal Code. It’s not an ordinary of the administrative rules of the PNP.”
No probe
Earlier, the CIDU VI begged off to be excused in conducting a probe over Sermonia’s involvement.
CIDU-6 regional officer Senior Supt. Renato Angara expressed their desire not to participate on the probe.
As to why he declined, Angara reasoned that Sermonia is only on detail service with the CIDG. He is an organic member of the Iloilo City Police Station 1.
As such, “we have no administrative jurisdiction over him,” he explained.
Angara also confirmed that there was no official order for Sermonia to act as police escort to Kenneth Chua, a scion of a prominent family in Iloilo City.
But he admitted receiving reports that the two knew each other.
Information from sources said that Sermonia and Chua are “magkumpare” with the latter acting as godfather on the former’s child.
“So, the moonlighting part is yet to be proved. It could be possible that they just met and agreed to have a meal,” the source claimed.
It was also learned that Sermonia was on mandatory leave, which started December 1 and ended December 7, when the incident happened.
To note, Sermonia hugged the headlines over a petty argument at a restaurant at Ybiernas St., Iloilo City early morning of December 3.
Reports claimed that Sermonia poked his gun at the employees of Luis Linaga-an after serving them a different food.
According to reports, Police Station 1 received a call at around 2:30 a.m.
“The phone call did not detail what happened. We just received a call for police assistance because of an ongoing commotion,” Silvestre said earlier.
The station chief did not elaborate further what happened claiming that Sermonia and the complainants – the employees and the restaurant owner – came to an amicable settlement hours after the incident.
But reports claimed that Sermonia was irked after the waiter served him and his “boss,” Chua, a food different from what they ordered.
Aside from Chua, Sermonia was with four other persons.
The cop was accused of gun poking, on top of physical maltreatment made by his group against the restaurant employees.
Reports claimed that responding tanod commander and Brgy. Capt. Navarro of Ybiernas St. also got a taste of the alleged arrogance of Sermonia.
