This, after the seven PAOCTF agents failed yesterday to meet the deadline set by the NBI to submit themselves for questioning in relation to the raid.
Earlier, NBI-National Capital Region chief Samuel Ong said his unit will be filing charges against Inspector Wilson Pedido, Inspector Dionisio Bonoy, SPO4 Willy Nuas, PO3 Roco Matic, PO3 Edmund Gacuti, SPO2 Gomercito Cagnayo, and SPO1 Adelaido Celarco.
Ong said that should the seven invited PAOCTF agents fail to present themselves for questioning, charges against them will be filed by the bureau with the Department of Justice.
The charges would include obstruction of justice, violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, violation of the Dangerous Drugs Act and malversation of public funds.
According to the NBI, the charges stem from a raid the PAOCTF agents, all members of Task Force Luzon, conducted on an abandoned house at 3934 Marigold St., Sun Valley Subdivision last Nov. 21.
The NBI said the agents secured a warrant to search the house as it was allegedly being used as a safehouse by a car theft ring. The agents later told the court that their search yielded negative results.
However, according to the NBI, they have documents showing that the PAOCTF agents confiscated from the house several car license plates, a 9 mm pistol, 10 grams of shabu and drug paraphernalia. According to the NBI, this prompted them to conduct a motu propio probe of the incident.
The raided house is located near the house of abducted publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer. The timing of the raid also aroused the suspicion of some quarters that the PAOCTF could have used the operation as a "cover" for their surveillance of Dacer who disappeared along with his driver Emmanuel Corbito three days later.
Dacer and Corbito were taken by a group of men at the corner of Zobel Roxas street and Sergio Osmeña highway on Nov. 24. Dacer was on his way from his home in Sun Valley Subdivision to his Manila Hotel office for a lunch meeting with former President Ramos.
The NBI has denied that its investigation of the PAOCTF agents is related to the Dacer case. However, NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco stressed that they are not also clearing the PAOCTF elements of any involvement in the abduction case. – Mike Frialde