TWO policemen charged in connection with the murder of a police captain in Maguindanao del Norte on Thursday last week were ordered to return to their headquarters where they will be placed under restrictive custody hours after the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office ordered them freed on mere technicalities.

According to Philippine National Police spokesperson Col. Jean S. Fajardo, Police Master Sergeants Aladdin Ramalan and Shariff Balading were told to submit themselves to restrictive custody by the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Administrative Region pending the final resolution of their criminal and administrative cases.

Last May 7, the Maguindanao del Norte Prosecutor’s Office ordered the two released from the Parang Municipal Police Station jail unless they are being detained for other lawful causes.

According to Col. Fajardo, both Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin C. Abalos Jr. and PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco D. Marbil have ordered the PRO-BAR to thoroughly study the case and see to it that all legal remedies will be undertaken to bring justice to slain Capt. Roland Arnold S. Moralde.

The PRO-BAR headed by Brig. Gen. Prexy D. Tanggawohn has already submitted its position paper to the local prosecutor’s office amid its decision to release the two, he added.

Fajardo said the Prosecutor’s Office issued a resolution ordering the release of the two accused, saying that the complaint-affidavit does not contain necessary evidence to prove the essential elements of murder.

However, she said that it was very clear in recovered CCTV recordings that the hapless officer was shot to death by the suspects, a copy of the extracted CCTV footage also submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office as part of the evidence.

“This will suffice and constitute prima face evidence to prove that what happened to Moralde is murder. Hopefully, ma-aapreciate ng Prosecutor’s Office ito,” she said

Fajardo said that Brig. Gen. Tanggawohn has also sought the assistance of the PNP Legal Service in studying the possibility of transferring the case outside of BARMM. This is amid reports that the accused are related with local politicians and prosecutors.

“That is one of the consideration on why we are studying the possibility of seeking the transfer of the case outside BARMM,” she said

Fajardo said that last Friday, the PRO-BAR submitted their position paper answering all arguments raised by the prosecutor’s office. She said that part of the position paper is that the two accused policemen voluntarily appeared at the Parang MPS and turned over their PNP-issued firearms and even affixed their signatures on the police blotter as witnessed by a sister of one of the two policemen.

She said that a blotter extract regarding the voluntary surrender of the two was submitted as a supporting document to the complaint.

“The contention of the PRO-BAR is that the two were not arrested by virtue of a warrantless arrest but they voluntarily surrendered. Distinct po ‘yung dalawa, iba po yung act of surrender sa concept ng warrantless arrest,” Fajardo said.

The official said that spent casings of caliber .45, 9mm and M-16 rifles recovered at the scene have also been subjected to a ballistics examination even as the two policemen tested positive for gunpowder nitrates during a paraffin test shortly after they surrendered.

Both hands of one of the two accused policemen tested positive for gunpowder nitrates while the right hand of the 2nd cop tested positive in the paraffin test.

She added that the two committed to report to the PRO-BAR headquarters where they will be placed under restrictive custody. Ramalan is a member of the Matanog MPS while Balading is assigned at the Raja Buayan MPS.

The Regional Internal Affairs Service has also taken cognizance of the administrative case for grave misconduct of the two.

The PNP leadership has taken the cudgels for the slain cop after learning that just hours after Gen. Marbil and Sec. Abalos paid tribute to the late cop’s heroics, the murder case filed against five suspects in the case was dismissed by local prosecutors.