PRO-6 starts probe on police links to Carles mining

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — Amid reports and controversies hounding the mining activities at Calagna-an island, Brgy. Barancalan in Carles town of Iloilo, the Police Regional Office-6 has initiated its own fact-finding investigation.

Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., PRO-6 director, however clarified that the fact-finding will be limited to knowing the veracity of information of the involvement of policemen in allegedly arming groups securing the area and the criminal aspect of the Sunday shooting incident that left two persons dead.

The incident killed security guard George Torres, 43, of Balasan town in Iloilo, and Dante Villanueva, 40, of Brgy. Barancalan, Carles, Iloilo.

Police identified the suspects as Jojie Belmonte of Negros Occidental and Cocoy Jopson of Davao City, who were linked allegedly to Sr. Supt. Allan Guisihan, Negros Occidental Police provincial director.

Prior to the incident, Villanueva accosted Belmonte and Jopson for carrying firearms and referred them to Torres who was then posted nearby. The suspects fled after the incident on board a pump boat towards Manapla town in Negros Occidental.

Querol had directed the Carles Police to hasten the investigation and the filing of the case against the suspects. He said that, to avoid any whitewash, the fact-finding team he created will be multi-sectoral, and will be headed by the chief of the PRO-6 investigation and detection division.

Querol said he might ask representatives from the Napolcom or the DILG, a non-governmental organization and the local government of Carles to be members of the fact-finding team.

“As to the issue of illegal mining, that’s beyond us. The MGB already said its piece. We are just here to support the concerned agency. If they say that the operation is illegal and they need police assistance, that’s the time that we would come in,” Querol said, adding that a preventive patrol would be conducted to thwart any violence in the area.

Querol also stood pat on his pronouncement that the shooting incident was not, in any way, connected to the issue on illegal mining activity.

Guisihan, for his part, admitted to have known the two persons allegedly involved in the shooting incident, and he also acknowledged being “consultant” to the mining firm.

This early, Querol said his office could not rule yet if Guisihan was culpable of moonlighting. “That would form part of the investigation: the involved policemen’s role in the mining activities,” he said, adding that part of the probe will be on Guisihan’s involvement of allegedly deploying armed men to the mining site.

Carles town Mayor Arnold Betita earlier mentioned in one of his media interviews that Guisihan and Supt. Giovanni Musico, deputy director of the Iloilo City Police, were allegedly protectors of illegal miners.

Yesterday, Querol confirmed policemen would be deployed to Calagna-an island. But some observers feared that the police might just be used as security personnel for the interest of the mining firm operating there.

“The deployment would be temporary. We would be working for the best interest of the people,” Querol said. “We can’t undermine the security threat in the area. Anything may happen and we can’t be complacent,” he added. — (FREEMAN)