Nine cops in Mandaluyong shooting post bail

January 20, 2018

Nine policemen who were involved in an incident in Mandaluyong where they fired at a van, believing an alert from barangay watchmen, the passengers caused shooting at a construction site, posted bail for two counts of homicide and two counts of frustrated homicide on Friday.

Senior Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen, deputy director for operations of the Eastern Police District (EPD), said the policemen paid a surety bond. “The cash bond is much higher,” Quibuyen said in a text message.

Another police official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the cops each paid a surety bond of around P30,000, covering two counts of homicide and two counts of frustrated homicide.

“They paid P8,000 for each count of homicide and P7,000 for each count of frustrated homicide,” the  official said in a phone interview.

The cops who posted bail are Police Officer 2 Lawemuel Songalia, Police Officers 1 Ariel Uribe, Jave Arellano, Tito Danao, Mark Castillo, Julius Libuen, Bryan Nicolas, Albert Buwag and Kim Rufford Tibunsay.

The police officers were turned over to to the National Capital Region Police Office Friday evening where they will be under restrictive custody at the NCRPO's Regional Headquarters Support Group as they are  facing an investigation for possible administrative sanctions.

Their leader, Senior Inspector Maria Cristina Vasquez, remains under restrictive custody at the Mandaluyong Police Station as she is facing preliminary investigation.

The two Barangay Addition Hills watchmen in the charge sheet, Wilmer Duron and Gilbert Gulpo, also posted bail but it is unclear if their bail was through a surety bond.

The Mandaluyong Regional Trial Court set the bail  at P40,000 for each of homicide and P24,000 for each count of frustrated homicide.

Quibuyen did say if the bail bond of the policemen were from their own personal money or from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa said they were raising funds to bail out the police officers who were involved in the shooting that led to the deaths of two people and left two injured.

According to Dela Rosa, it is their “moral responsibility” to provide assistance to the police officers who just reacted to a report that were armed men inside a white van. DMS