Police official relieved after punishing 6 rookies

 CEBU, Philippines - Six neophyte policemen, four of whom were women, have filed a complaint against their immediate superior who punished them by allegedly ordering them to immerse on a fishpond of eels for nine hours last Monday.

PO1s Janice Patricio, Madeline Villegas, Marites de Gomez, Rowena Bautista, Ronald de Tomas and Jemar Sales—assigned to the Regional Public Safety Battalion in Victorias City but on a detailed service at the 1st Iloilo Provincial Public Safety Company (IPPSC) in Tigbauan, Iloilo—filed the complaint against their platoon leader, Sr. Insp. Yolando Lago.

Patricio said that they had the incident recorded in the police blotter, alleging that Lago, irked after learning that they “adjusted” their dayoff, ordered them to jump into the fishpond and stay there for hours.

Immediately after the complaint was booked, IPPSC commander Supt. Roderick Condag ordered the relief of Lago and assigned the latter to the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) headquarters at Camp Sumagaysay in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo while investigation is being conducted against him.

Senior Insp. Jefferson Muyo temporarily took over Lago’s post at the IPPSC, while IPPO director Sr. Supt. Gil Lebin named Supt. Benedicto Genodepa to lead the investigation of the incident.

“But aside from Lago, the six complainants will also be investigated,” Lebin said, referring to the “dayoff adjustments” of the rookies. He said that the six should have taken their leave of absence Friday but, as early as Thursday, they were not manning their post already.

When Lago learned about it, he implemented an internal punishment against the six instead of putting their act as an administrative breach. Violations like what the six allegedly did could constitute penalty that might affect their bonuses and other cash gifts, said Lebin.

“Abandonment of post is also a serious violation that must be taken into account with,” Lebin said, but added that an internal punishment, like what Lago was accused of doing, was not also a proper way of disciplining one’s subordinates.