POLICE Regional Office 4-A (PRO 4-A) Director Brigadier General Jose Melencio C. Nartatez Jr. on Monday 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 Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Tanglaw-Diwa” Class of 1992 said.

Officials said that in many instances, “regular filing” of cases does not benefit the aggrieved parties, unlike in inquest proceedings where prosecutors determine if there is “probable cause” to indict the accused and lock him up in jail.

Inquest is an informal and summary investigation conducted by a public prosecutor in criminal cases involving persons arrested and detained without the benefit of a warrant of arrest issued by the court.

The inquest serves to determine whether said persons should remain under custody and correspondingly be charged in court.

Lawyers interviewed by the Journal Group said that because it is summary in nature and owing to the attendant risk of running against the reglementary periods under which detained persons must be delivered to the proper judicial authorities, an inquest usually ends with either the prompt filing of an information in court or the immediate release of the arrested person.

Nartatez issued the statement in the wake of the arrest of two suspects in a celebrated rape, robbery-holdup, and physical injury case in Lumban, Laguna last November 11.

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

Laguna Police Provincial Office Director Col. Randy Glenn G. Silvio said that the 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 on Saturday.

“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.

A record check showed that the suspect had been arrested thrice before for drug-related offenses.

In a report to Nartatez, the Laguna police director said that the father and his son, a “Bantay-Bayan” member in their area, were arrested while conspiring to sell P700 worth of shabu to an undercover officer.

Recovered from the possession of the two were seven plastic sachets containing the so-called “poor man’s cocaine” and a marked P500 bill paid to them by a poseur.

The suspects will be facing charges for the sale and possession of prohibited drugs under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Both have been reunited in jail with the suspects previously arrested in connection with the rape, robbery-holdup, and physical injury cases in Bgy. Caliraya and Bgy. Lewin in Lumban around 10:30 p.m. last November 11.

The victims were an 18-year-old male student and his 17-year-old female companion from Paete town. The suspects beat up the two before the girl was raped.

The two suspects have been arrested along with their live-in partners, who now face charges of obstruction of justice.

One of the suspects was charged with robbery with rape and frustrated murder before the office of Laguna Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Rhonella Ulip-Layao.

The duo was also charged with robbery-frustrated murder and violation of RA (Republic Act) 9165 before the same prosecutor’s office.

Around 7:00 a.m. last November 13, Silvio, joined by members of the Lumban Municipal Police Station 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.