Three charges filed vs ex-Argao police chief

CEBU, Philippines — The authorities have already filed the cases against the former Argao Police Station chief, Police Major Ildefonso Miranda, who was arrested for illegally confining two female detainees inside his office.

Police Brigadier General Dominggo Cabillan, Deputy Regional Director for Administration of Police Regional Office (PRO)-7, said that they have formally filed the charges for violation of RA 3019 also known as Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, for violation of Article 210 (direct bribery) and Article 156 (Delivery of Prisoners from jail) of the Revised Penal Code while the administrative case will be filed with the PRO-7.

After the filling of the charge, Cabillan said that Miranda will be placed in the restricted custody, until the results of the criminal and administrative charges against him will come out.

Miranda had mentioned in the previous reports that he just fell in love with the late that resulted him into committing the illegal confinement.

Cabillan, however, said Miranda should have separated his personal life from his official duties.

“As a public official, hindi nya dapat pinakikialaman ang mga priso kasi may mga batas tayo, yung delivery of prison, it is only the court who can dictate kung saan dalhin yun. If it is the detention cell, dapat sa detention cell lang yun, not in any other private rooms,” Cabillan said.

Cabillan had also directed the newly installed officer-in-charge of Argao Police Station, Police Captain Elstone Dabon, to commit the detainees whom Miranda has confined to the provincial jail.

He added that all the violations that Miranda has committed are all bailable offenses, since those are not heinous crimes.

Meanwhile, Police Captain Neon Francis Alvarez, Provincial Officer of Integrity Monitoring Enforcement Group (IMEG) Visayas Field Unit, said that Miranda has also underwent a drug test to determine if he has involvement with illegal drugs, considering that the inmates he has freed from the detention cells were both arrested for illegal drugs.

At present, the authorities were just waiting for the results.  GAN (FREEMAN)