For delaying probe of Laguna robbery-rape case

TWO women arrested for “meddling” with the Laguna police’s investigation of a robbery-holdup and rape case in Lumban town last November 11 have pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice by a local judge this week, Laguna Police Provincial Office (LPPO) Director Colonel Randy Glenn G. Silvio.

The suspect and her sister made the “guilty plea” before Judge Josephine B. Nicholas of the Lumban-Kalayaan Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) and were each sentenced to pay a P1,000 fine for violation of Presidential Decree (PD) 1829 or obstruction of justice, said Silvio in a report to Police Regional Office 4-A (PRO 4-A) director, Brig. Gen. Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr.

PD 1829 refers to the “giving of false or fabricated information to mislead or prevent law enforcement agents from apprehending a law offender or from protecting the life or property of the victim; or fabricating information from the data gathered in confidence by investigators for purposes of background information.

The minimum penalty for the offense is a fine and a misdemeanor on the record.

The duo’s partners, two male suspects, are now in jail facing criminal charges in connection with the rape and robbery-holdup incident that transpired at around 10:30 p.m. of November 11 in Barangays Caliraya and Lewin in Lumban, said Silvio.

Members of the Laguna PPO and the Lumban Municipal Police Station (MPS) launched the hot pursuit operation, which led to the arrest of the four suspects and the recovery of evidence, including the items stolen by the two male suspects from the two teenage victims.

They have been charged with robbery-holdup with rape and frustrated murder in the aftermath of the incident. Silvio said that the two had been previously involved in a robbery, illegal drug trafficking and use, theft, and carnapping incidents in Laguna, Quezon, and Pangasinan provinces.

The Laguna police director said that the two women were placed under arrest for intervening with their operation to arrest the suspect inside the house of his cohort, where the stolen items were recovered.

Nartatez earlier underscored the importance of subjecting arrested crime offenders to inquest proceedings and ensuring their prosecution to the hilt by giving solid testimonies in court.

The Calabarzon police chief said he wants the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon Police Provincial Offices to do away, if possible, with the practice of “ordinary filing” of cases in prosecutor’s offices and courts, specifically when the matter involves heinous crimes like rape and murder.

“The greatest battle and accomplishments of police officers is thru inquest of arrested violators and continuing battle in court for conviction of the accused. My emphasis here in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) region is always the conduct of hot pursuit operations and subjecting suspects to inquest proceedings, particularly in every celebrated cases kung kaya pa,” Nartatez, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992 said.

The official issued the statement in the wake of the arrest of two suspects in the celebrated rape, robbery holdup, and physical injury cases in Lumban 1.

Acting on information supplied by the two arrested suspects in the case involving two young students, local policemen also arrested a notorious drug dealer in the province who was tagged by the jailed men as their “shabu supplier.”

Silvio said that the drug suspect, tagged as the 5th most wanted drug personality in the province, and his son, were arrested during a buy-bust operation in Bonifacio Street in Barangay Salac in Lumban municipality.

“The sting was launched after the arrested rape suspect confessed that he bought ten grams of shabu from one alias ‘Hector’ in Bgy. Salac and consumed part of the drugs with his three co-accused,” said the official.

“He confessed that he and his cohorts sniffed shabu and drank liquor in his house before they committed the dastardly crime,” Silvio added.

Both have been reunited in jail with the two male suspects.

Around 7:00 a.m. last November 13, Silvio, joined by members of the MPS headed by Captain Ed Richard Pacana and Laguna PPO officials, Majors Jameson Aguilar, Merben Bryan Lago, and Edison Ouano conducted the follow-up operations in Bgys. Lewin and Caliraya, which resulted in the arrest of the suspects.