5 POLICEMEN IN HOT WATER

CEBU CITY - The Region 7 office of the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) filed complaints for murder with the Office of the
Visayas Ombudsman against five policemen who allegedly shot to death
an alleged drug pusher. The five policemen, PO3 Tiburcio Heramil, PO2
Reynaldo Solante, PO2 Epifanio Gonzaga Jr. and PO2 Rodrigo Ungria of
the Cebu Provincial Police Office; PO3 Valentino Guevarra of the San
Francisco Police Station and PO2 Ernesto Obrero of Poro, Cebu,
allegedly conspired to kill Remegio Arias on the evening of last July
10 in barangay Santa Cruz. They are facing charges for murder and
planting of evidence, as well as an administrative complaint for gross
misconduct.

The NBI investigation showed Arias attended a disco party held at a
basketball court and was drinking when policemen in plainclothes
arrived. Arias was reportedly alarmed after seeing one of the
policemen draw a firearm, prompting him to jump over the fence and
run away. The policemen chased Arias and eventually cornered him.
Arias suffered bullet wounds in different parts of the body and died
before he reached the hospital.

The policemen, however, said Arias eluded arrest during a "buy-bust"
operation. Arias allegedly fired at them while trying to escape and
was shot at after he failed to heed the verbal warning to surrender.
NBI executive officer Nelson Bartolome, in an official communication
to the anti-graft office, stated the policemen were enraged by the
evasive action of the victim, and ignored Arias' act of surrender.