PNP probes Iloilo police, IMEG over alleged threats

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has ordered a full audit of an Iloilo City police station and a review of an operation by its Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) following reports that civilians were threatened.

“We are conducting a thorough and impartial investigation into the reported incident at the Iloilo police station,” PNP chief Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement on Monday.

“If any operative is found to have compromised civilian safety or exceeded their authority, we will ensure that accountability is swift and follows due process,” he added.

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Based on the initial investigation, IMEG operatives raided Iloilo City Police Station 4 in Molo on July 1 to locate a dismissed police officer wanted in connection with a murder case.

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During the operation, IMEG personnel allegedly disarmed station officers, ordered them to lie face down, seized their mobile phones, and pointed firearms at civilians serving as witnesses in an ongoing buy-bust operation.

The dismissed officer was not at the station during the operation but surrendered to PRO-6 on July 5 to face the charges against him.

He is wanted under a murder warrant issued by the Iloilo City Regional Trial Court Branch 31 on April 26, 2022, which carries no bail.

READ: Ex-cop wanted for murder surrenders in Iloilo City

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He also surrendered his issued 9mm service pistol and is now being held at Iloilo City Police Station 6.

Nartatez also instructed PRO-6 to verify reports claiming that the dismissed officer had been regularly seen at Police Station 4 and had allegedly continued participating in police operations despite his dismissal from the service.

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“We do not tolerate any station harboring or utilizing rogue elements, and those reports are being validated with the utmost seriousness,” Nartatez said. /mcm

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