Ovilla lawyer hits Desierto on dismissal

A lawyer for dismissed Anonas police station commander, Superintendent Francisco Ovilla has questioned the alleged haste with which Ombudsman Aniano Desierto acted to dismiss his client and seven of his men from the police service for allegedly releasing two drug suspects in Quezon City in exchange for bribes.

"He didn't even give my client the courtesy of sending us a copy of his resolution before announcing it at a press conference," said Alan Paguia, Ovilla's lawyer.

The lawyer said he will file a motion for reconsideration as soon as he receives a copy of the Ombudsman's decision finding Ovilla and seven others administratively liable for graft.

Desierto, in his resolution, said there is "strong" evidence that Ovilla, his deputy, Superintendent Loredo de la Cruz, Chief Inspector Edwin Misador, SPO4 Florendo Lucilla, SPO3 Benjamin Fonacier, SPO1 Orencio Jurado, PO3 Orlando Comia and PO2 Ladislao Rebancos had conspired to release alleged Hong Kong Triad men Jimmy Tan and Albert Koo on Aug. 22 after receiving some P650,000 in bribe.

But the Ombudsman dropped the charges against four others, namely SPOs1 Teodorico Lado, Ronnie Rodaje, Eusebio Sembrano and PO3 Manuel Malong, for lack of evidence.

Two of Ovilla's former men, SPO2 Reynado Ressureccion and PO3 Wilfredo Gonzales, blew the whistle on them, alleging that the two suspects were earlier arrested in a buy-bust operation at the parking lot of ShoeMart Mall on North Avenue and had yielded 1.5 kilograms of methampetamine hydrochloride or poor man's cocaine. -