Mayor Lim backs “bungling” cops

TAGBILARAN City Mayor Dan Neri Lim said he simply could not allow a dangerous precedence of police forcing to detain suspects. This as he defended the embattled city cops and chief P/Cinsp. Jacinto Cesar from criticism over alleged bungled police work. Several high profile police crime cases have sizzled out on mere legal technicalities. Mayor Lim, in fact cited the city police for doing a job by the book and not bungling the case with a technicality. City police and PCInsp. Cesar stood at the receiving end of public and media criticisms when they reportedly freed a suspected car-napper and murderer from police custody. Murder is a non-bailable crime. Police elements have been on the cold trail of a month-old crime suspect until a break came days ago. A tip from Sierra Bullones police elements detailed the sighting of the hot motorcycle that was reportedly taken from habalhabal driver Nelson Bolivar Pacatang who was murdered in Cabawan District here.

Pacatang, from Sta. Cruz Batuan has his last trip last April 30, at about 7 pm when he was contracted for a ride by a man later identified as Christopher Paquit Buslon of Poblacion Pilar in front of the Island City Mall, witness affidavit said. Buslon was seen and later identified by witnesses as the same man who rode with Pacatang and asked to be taken to Cabawan District. The next time Pacatang was seen, he was thrown on the roadside, dead with multiple stab wounds, his motorcycle gone. In follow up operations in Dusita, Sierra Bullones, city cops collared a suspect Christopher Buslon, who was using the hot motorcycle. After inviting the suspect for comments, city cops reportedly released him, confirmed PO2 Evangeline Barro of the Sierra Bullones Station.

Asked for comment on the move, PCisnp Cesar told DyRD that they did that so they could not be liable for arbitrary detention pending a case filed against the suspect. Without a witness to positively identify the suspect and only the hot motorcycle to link him to the murder, cops do not have any hold on him other than a formal invitation. Mayor Lim implied that some police officers may have the suspect for several grounds if only to hold him, but that would be contrary to due process. A witness, Mequias Basenillo who later came to the city station executed an affidavit identifying Buslon June 1, after police have freed the suspect. Last Friday, victim's sister Imelda Pacatang filed murder and carnapping complaints against Buslon.

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