CEBU, Philippines - Cebu third district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia has scolded Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Director Benjamin Magalong for preempting the ongoing investigation into missing Philippine National Police firearms.
Garcia is a member of the House committee on public order and safety that is conducting inquiry on missing 1,004 firearms.
Garcia said Magalong’s premature identification of senior police officers as involved in the loss seemed to her to be intended to lead the committee to adopt the conclusions of CIDG’s investigation or to hide aspects of the whole truth about the firearms issue.
“There seems to be a deliberate attempt either to lead this committee towards the conclusions which Director Magalong’s own investigation wishes to impose upon us or to hide other facets of an incomplete truth,†said Garcia, in a statement.
She said the House committee is doing its best to get to the bottom of things and find the truth “in manner that is most objective, apolitical and totally without agenda.â€
However, Garcia said, the panel is being preempted by Magalong’s media pronouncement last week on the filing of cases against certain police officers.
“I find the situation rather mysterious if not suspicious. I find it even unacceptable that this committee that is trying its best to get to the bottom of things to find the truth in a manner that is most objective, apolitical and totally without agenda should be preempted by an investigation which up to now I cannot fathom whether it is ongoing, terminated or suddenly, inexplicably concluded,†said Garcia.
She asked how could the committee objectively get the side of the PNP officers when Magalong had already named them in the media.
“How else can we still objectively question them when we try to get to the bottom of this whole fiasco when the CIDG’s own investigation has pinpointed them to be the personalities culpable and responsible and must answer criminally and administratively?†said Garcia.
“What is the use of this committee hearing? Where lies the dignity of the House here? We have been preempted right after the hearing, less than 24 hours later, by a pronouncement of a conclusion to the CIDG investigation,†she added.
Magalong reportedly revealed the names of a few of the 19 PNP officers and personnel who would be charged by the CIDG.
Garcia asked Magalong why he identified the PNP officers when at the House committee hearing he assured the lawmakers that the CIDG probe has not yet concluded.
It was reported that there would be five generals who would be charged as regards the disappearance of 1,004 AK 47s.—(FREEMAN)