Cebu police creates task group over alleged abduction
The Cebu regional police office created a special investigation task group (SITG) to focus on the alleged abduction of development workers in the port of Cebu last week.
"As of now the PRO7 (Police Regional Office 7) has already created a special investigation task group. This will include agencies of government like Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG). What we want is a thorough and impartial probe of what happened," said Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare, regional police public information office chief, in a radio interview on Thursday.
"We forwarded the video to the (PNP) anti-cybercrime group in the hope that we could identify the perpetrators as well as to check if the video was really taken during the incident, that is what our SITG is doing," he added.
Pelare said the Philippine Coast Guard and the Cebu Ports Authority were also investigating the incident.
"The Cebu Port Authority is conducting their own investigation as well as the coast guard because the port is not under the local police that is why we will be coordinating with the right agencies," he said.
According to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), Arman Dayoha and Dyan Gumanao were reported missing on January 10 in Cebu City. They were reportedly released in Carmen, Cebu last Monday.
Amid the alleged involvement of police in the abduction of Dayoha and Gumanao, Pelare said police investigators are still trying to get in touch with the victims to identify the suspects and for filing of charges.
"We're trying to contact their cellphone numbers but as of now we have not established contact. We hope that they will coordinate so that we can really get the blow-by-blow account of the incident, and probably identify the perpetrators then we could file charges," he said.
Pelare denied the possible involvement of police authorities in the abduction incident as he said police do not have any basis to arrest victims.
"We are very positive that the police did not participate in this kind of action, because what we do as a matter of policy if there is an offense, we will file charges. What happened is, the allegation was that they were taken and they were released so it's not a police procedure," he said.
"As far as the PNP is concerned, we don't have any grounds to arrest Dyan or Arman because we don't have basis," he added.
Pelare did not say if Dyan was red tagged but he mentioned that during the pandemic she was arrested for violation of the Public Assembly Act.
"They were at a protest rally without a permit but she was released together with the person arrested and they have an ongoing trial," he said.
Despite the incident, Pelare assured the public that Cebu province is safe.
"We will conduct (a) serious impartial and thorough investigation about this incident," he added. Robina Asido/DMS
