NAGA CITY, Philippines (Bicol Standard) — Police lapses and negligence led to five cases related to illegal drugs, heinous and sensational crime being dismissed by the Regional Trial Court.
The court dismissed separate cases faced by:
- Marissa Comprado and Dionesio Bien
- Walfredo San Jose
- Joven Dellova and Junel San Jose
- Wilbert Tolosa and Luis Tron Lee
- Jomar Aureus
A police committee that reviewed the reasons behind the dismissal pointed out that there was "inconsistency and contradicting testimony of the police operatives, doubtful sequence of events, and difficulty identifying the items confiscated during illegal drug operations."
The committee recommended that police personnel thoroughly read and understand their affidavits before filing in court. It added that all circumstances must be established in order to prove the guilt of the accused.
The affidavit must also be specific as to the sequence of events and description of the items confiscated.
The committee also said the police must conduct a case conference before attending hearings.
Superintendent Gilberto Remo, deputy city director for operations, headed the Case Review Committee, which is under the direct supervision of Senior Superintendent Jonathan Panganiban, city director.
Bicol Standard is a regional partner of Philstar.com