Jaro police chief sacked

ILOILO CITY, Philippines  — After the relief of three policemen, the chief of the Jaro Police Station came next to be sacked for failure to act on a case of indiscriminate firing during the New Year’s Eve celebration.

Senior Supt. Marietto Valerio, Iloilo City Police Office director, ordered the relief of Sr. Insp. Joseph Euje Almaquer, Jaro Police chief, due to the latter’s alleged failure to act immediately against Ramon Espia, a suspect in the indiscriminate firing.

Valerio said Almaquer was sacked due to the doctrine of command responsibility, and Sr. Insp. Stephen Somosot was designated the new OIC of the police station effective yesterday, Jan. 7.

Almaquer, for his part, took over Somosot’s post as deputy chief of the ICPO’s Investigation and Detective Management Section.

Last January 2, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., director of the Police Regional Office-6, ordered the relief of three Jaro policemen for their failure to arrest Espia.

They were PO3 Rico Alolor, duty investigator, and PO1s Valiant Chua and Eliseo Benliro, patrol team members. (FREEMAN)