Cop to file charges vs ex-IBP president

After deliberation with its key officers, the Cebu City Police Office will support the filing of criminal charges against the former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City Chapter.

CCPO director Patrocinio Comendador told reporters that PO2 Jerrybel Lerio is bent on filing the case against lawyer Alex Tolentino for grave oral defamation and threats, and obstruction of justice.

Lerio alleged that Tolentino accused her and her superior, Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch chief George Ylanan of ‘planting’ evidence against his clients who were arrested for alleged illegal drug possession.

Comendador said if Tolentino indeed knows of anything irregular committed by his men in the performance of their duties, Tolentino, being a lawyer, should have brought it in the proper forum.

The case stemmed from the July 10 arrest of Emerita Bontuyan and her daughter Lerma Ledamo by the CIIB for alleged illegal drug possession.

Tolentino accused the police of planting evidence based on the accounts of his clients, whom he believed were innocent of the shabu possession charges.

The suspects claimed that the police only found several regulated drugs known as nubain and several syringes during the raid on their house.

Nubain is not considered an illegal drug in the country. But there is an existing city ordinance that penalizes the use of this kind of drug.

Ylanan told reporters yesterday that what Tolentino did last Friday could be understood as defense tactics.

Tolentino earlier stated that he learned from some prosecutors that there is an implied policy at the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office to automatically forward drug cases to the court.

The policy, according to him, deprived lawyers of the suspects to defend their clients to argue the charges.

He believed that the prosecutors and the police are colluding in “blinding” him on the real status of the case because he was not furnished with the copy of the resolution.

Prosecutor Raul Cristoria, during a television interview yesterday with GMA’s Balitang Bisdak, confirmed Lerio’s accusations against Tolentino.

“Yes I was there because it happened in my cubicle…diha man ko, tinuod mao nay gisulti niya,” Cristoria said when asked by anchorman Bobby Nalzaro if he heard Tolentino utter malicious accusations to Lerio.

According to Cristoria, the police are obliged to file the case against the drug suspects that day but they were not able to finish it because the documents were ‘snatched’ by Tolentino from their possession.

Cristoria said there was nothing irregular in the proceedings because the suspects have filed their counter-affidavit last July 23, and that he has five days to finish the entire process.

Regional police director Silverio Alarcio Jr. supported Lerio’s move to file a case against Tolentino.

Alarcio yesterday said if there have been rules violated by Tolentino, then Lerio can proceed with the filing of the case and the whole police organization will be behind her. — Edwin Ian Melecio with a report from Flor Z. Perolina/LPM