By Mar. T. Supnad
CAMP QUIRINO, Ilocos Sur- A police superintendent (equivalent to colonel in the army) was sacked Tuesday after he was held responsible for the mysterious release of a suspect who was caught with a cache of illegal guns and live bullets.
Chief Supt. Constante D. Azares, Jr., Region 1 police director, ordered the removal of Supt. James Mangili, as investigation officer of the PNP headquarters here, for allegedly mishandling a case of illegal possession of firearms and ammunitions that was filed against a top official of the Department of Interior and Local Government.
Senior Supt. Eduard Dopale, Ilocos Sur police officer in chagre, said Mangili was replaced by Supt. Cornelio Comila.
The relief of Mangili stemmed from the case of one Saturnino Vagay, reportedly a top official of San Juan town, who was caught Feb. 10, with four high-powered firearms, 220 various bullets and 120 empty shells confiscated when the police conducted a pre-dawn raid on his house in Barangay Caronoan, San Juan.
But Vagay was immediately released by the office of the provincial Prosecution for the failure of the arresting team headed by Mangili to present the inventory of confiscated evidence before the prosecution’s office, said Supt. Eduard Dopale, officer in charge of Ilocos Sur police.
“How come that Mangili did not present the list of evidence to the prosecution office when this is a must; he should answerable for this gross neglect if not dereliction of duty,” said the visibly-irked Azares.
A member of the operating team who raided the house of Vagay said right after they discovered the cache of guns inside the house of Vagay, he (suspect) immediately called a number of top government and police officials to make arrangement on his case.
The police officer who requested his name be withheld said there was a big possibility there was a grand design to shelve the suspect from his case so as not to be immediately imprisoned.
Dopale said that usually, if a suspect has been subjected for inquest he should be immediately jailed.
But in the case of Vagay, he was not jailed due to the lack of evidence presented to the prosecution. “Nandyan pa rin yong kaso, pero hindi nga lang siya agad makukulong dahil regular filing na lang yong kaso,” said Dopale.
Confiscated in the house of Vagay were one carbine Cal. 30M1, one Cal. 22 rifle, one Remington browning shot gun, one smith and Wesson Cal. 357 and bullets for Cal. 9mm, carbine, super 38, shot gun, Cal. and spent shells.
Two of his guns, however, were reportedly covered by a temporary permit.
The raid, that was ordered by Judge Franciso Ante of the Regional Trial Court here, was led by Supt. Panfilo Racho, intelligence officer of the Ilocos Sur police command.
Dopale said, however, two of the guns confiscated from Vagay with temporary license will be checked first at Camp Crame whether these two guns have really been registered.
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