38 cops in RCBC rubout face murder charges before DoJ

09/03/2008

At least 38 policemen are now facing criminal complaints before the Department of Justice (DoJ) for their participation in the alleged “rubout” incident that killed the suspects in the May 16 Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. (RCBC) robbery-massacre in Cabuyao, Laguna.

Murder complaints were filed yesterday noon by the relatives of three slain suspects identified as Barangay Captain Vivencio Javier, Angelito Malabanan and Rolando Lachica.

Charged before the DoJ are Task Force RCBC members Supts. Gilbert Sauro Jr. and Marcellano Villafranca, Senior Insp. Ricardo Dalamcia, Insp. Leovino Ricablanca, Senior Police Officers (SPO) 3 Segundo Binay and Narciso Amante, SPO2 Rogelio Candelaria and Leo Morcilla, SPO1 Gaudencio Magsumbol, Angelito Dizon, Antonio Paombong Jr., Roberto Opeña and Lauro Camitan.

Also in the charge sheet are PO3 Romeo Panaligan, Adi Madlangbayan, Fernan Hernandez, Renie Malveda, Alexander Kim Sobrepeña, Richard Pinili, Police Officers 2 Roberto Godoy, Edwalberto Villas, Leonardo Aquino, Lyndon Herrera, Jimmy Roncal, Kelvin Bernas, Reynaldo Siringan, Jeffrey Luis Franca, Gilbert Molino, and Police Officers 1 Camelo Casalme, Danilo Salvatierra, Michael Rebato, Dexter Caudilla, Bren Sumadsad, Ryan Upao, Victoriano Sanil and Veniority Lago.

Also charged were Col. David Quimio and Supt. Jireh Fidel.

Javier, Malabanan and Lachica were allegedly executed by members of Task Force RCBC. The task force was formed by the national police immediately after the May 16 RCBC robbery massacre that killed 10 persons, most of them RCBC employees.

Task Force RCBC conducted simultaneous raids in the suspects’ homes in Barangay Pagaspas Tanuan City on May 22, six days after the bloody bank massacre.

The task force claimed that the three suspects resisted arrest and fired back at the police authorities, resulting in a brief shootout, in which the three suspects were killed.

The families of the three alleged suspects cried “foul,” maintaining that the three were not bank robbers and uninvolved in the incident.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police (PNP) noted that the issue over the death of the alleged suspects in the RCBC bank massacre is worth looking into, in the same manner that the PNP also will look into injuries suffered by the involved policemen and the risks they faced during the alleged shootout.

PNP Spokesman Chief Supt. Nicanor Bartolome also said the national police has complete faith in the justice system and expressed optimism that the policemen involved will be afforded due process and will be given a fair opportunity to challenge the accusations and present evidence to prove their innocence.

Last month, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) issued a report on the Tanauan incident saying that the alleged “shootout” was a “rubout.”

In a 21-page resolution, the CHR concluded that the alleged encounter between the Calabarzon regional police, three suspects and Pepito Magsino five days after the bank massacre was a rubout. It was not an exchange of gunfire between the two sides as the police had maintained, the CHR report said.

Based on the CHR investigation, which was initiated after relatives of the slain suspects filed a complaint before the commission, numerous evidence pointed to the fact that the suspected bank robbers were defenseless during the supposed gunfights.

Gina Peralta-Elorde

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