Senior Superintendent Elmer Soria, chief of the TMG-NCR, clarified that those officially relieved were SPO2 Jaime de Guzman, PO2 Marcelino Dacoylo, PO2 Arthur Olosan, PO2 Gary Delgado, PO2 Mario Aresta, PO2 Renato Salinas and PO1 Jeffrey Abiad.
Earlier, the TMG identified the sacked officers as SPO1 Joseph Martin, PO3 Jerry Atancio, PO2 Raxciel Naprato and PO2 Raynaldo Pedagrosa, all members of TMG Mobile 10 that set up a blocking force along C-5 to intercept the target vehicle.
Soria said the names of Aresta and Salinas of the TMG-Special Operations Group (SOG) and Abiad of the Office of the TMG director, were not immediately included in the list of officers involved in the shooting and wounding Randolf Clarito, who was driving a car similar to the vehicle being pursued.
What is ironic is that the three were the ones who actually fired the shots that hit Clarito and his car.
TMG personnel said they mistook Clarito’s silver Toyota Vios for a target silver Toyota Altis.
"These officers appeared to have responded to the area upon hearing from radio communication that there was an alarm even without any instructions coming from their immediate superior. They went to the area even without knowing what was really going on," TMG director Chief Superintendent Augusto Angcanan said.
Angcanan said police personnel involved in the shooting "do not deserve to stay in the service even a minute longer."
"Tingin ko sa mga taong ganyan, mga gunggong eh," he said.
The TMG chief noted that the officers fired at Clarito’s vehicle even if there was no clear and present danger.
Shortly before midnight, a TMG team was chasing a Toyota Altis with suspicious plates, but lost track of the vehicle as it sped toward Pasig from Quezon City.
Later, TMG personnel spotted Clarito’s vehicle on C-5 and fired upon it. The pharmaceutical executive was hit in the back and leg.
"Looking at the incident, I think it was a lapse in radio communication. The total picture was not properly relayed," Soria said.
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director general Arturo Lomibao has ordered Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Charlemagne Alejandrino to conclude within the week the investigation on the C-5 incident.
Malacañang ordered yesterday Lomibao and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno to conduct a thorough probe into the shooting.
"Unfortunately, this kind of incident reflects on the PNP as a whole," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said. "The President believes that no less than a thorough probe and sweeping reforms are needed to assure the public that such errors in judgment among armed police personnel shall not happen again."
Chief Superintendent Ernesto Belen, director of the PNP Crime Lab, clarified that the license plates and a live bullet taken from a bag inside the trunk of the Altis were displayed for inventory and photo documentation purposes and not for the purpose of marking its respective location in relation to the crime scene.
Belen explained that Scene of the Crime Operatives were marking pieces of evidence when a TV cameraman started filming the vehicle.
"The SOCO agents were conducting an inventory on the contents of the recovered bag when the cameraman took the second footage," the crime lab chief said.
The TV news network had reported that the license plates and a live bullet were planted by TMG operatives.
Belen cried foul over the story, saying the TV reporter came to a conclusion without first checking his facts.
"Walang planting of evidence. Maliwanag naman sa magkahiwalay na kuha sa video kaya lang nag-conclude kaagad sila," he lamented.
Belen explained that when SOCO operatives arrived to examine the abandoned car on C-5 road, they immediately marked with a chalk, pieces of evidence found inside.
"Ang procedure kasi, ang nasa paligid muna ang unang mamarkahan. Ang nangyari may nakitang bag sa trunk kaya’t ini-inventory. Nang kunan uli ng footage ang sabi kaagad ng TV reporter wala kanina iyan diyan," he said.
Belen admitted that a SOCO operative wrongly marked a bullet of a caliber .38 revolver which was dropped from the bag. "Yoon siguro ang mali kasi minarkahan niya ang bala samantalang hindi naman dapat," the crime lab chief said.
Meanwhile, Clarito is working for the release of his silver Toyota Vios from the custody of the Pasig City police.
Clarito met Senior Superintendent Romeo Abaring, officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Pasig City police and submitted documentation to show ownership of the vehicle.
According to Abaring, Clarito claimed he has hired a lawyer who will take necessary steps in connection with the filing of charges against the erring TMG operatives.
"Bahala na raw ang abogado niya sa kaso," Abaring said. – With Non Alquitran, Paolo Romero