4 days ago
Patidongan brothers file complaint-affidavit vs. ex-CIDG chief
Julie 'Dondon' Patidongan and his brother Elakim Patidongan on Thursday filed a complaint-affidavit against former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Police Brigadier General Romeo Macapaz and two others before the National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM).
In a press conference right after the filing, Dondon accused Macapaz of urging individuals to implicate him in the missing sabungeros case as the mastermind.
'May isang pamilya na nagsabi, katulad ng nakaraan, na tinuturuan na baliktarin lahat ng sinasabi ko, na gagagawin niya ako ang mastermind, at labas na raw dito sa Mr. Atong Ang,' Dondon said.
(A family said, like in the past, that they were instructed to contradict everything I said, that they would make me the mastermind, and leave Mr. Atong Ang out of the issue.)
'Nakausap ko ang isang major na sinabi sa akin, 'Sir, hindi ko gagawin 'yan kung walang nag-utos sa akin.' Sa madaling salita, sinabi ng isang major, inutusan siya ni General Macapaz,' he added.
(I spoke to a police major and they told me, 'Sir, I wouldn't do that if no one ordered me. In other words, the police major said, General Macapaz ordered him.)
Meanwhile, Elakim said his rights were violated when he was taken by Philippine authorities in Cambodia.
'Meron po. Malaki ang ano niya sa pagkuha niya sa amin. Una, hindi niya kami kinausap at kinuha niya ang cellphone namin,' Elakim said.
(There were rights violated. It was a big violation when he took us. First, he didn't talk to us and he took our cellphone," Elakim said.
According to Elakim, there were sets of evidence in their belongings.
The complaints filed against Macapaz and others are misconduct, dishonesty, conduct unbecoming of a police officer, and oppression, according to Dondon.
GMA News Online is seeking the contact information of Macapaz from the CIDG and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to get his statement but the police organization has yet to respond as of posting time.
Macapaz in July said that they are still verifying information that there were cops who were trying to make Patidongan appear as the mastermind in the case.
'Bine-verify pa po namin 'yan Ma'am kasi may order nga po ang DOJ na sila lang ang pwede magsalita for the moment. Linawin muna namin Ma'am kung ano ang issue…' Macapaz earlier said.
(We're still verifying that because the DOJ has issued an order that only they can speak for the moment. We need to clarify the issue first.)
Dondon and the families of missing sabungeros on July 14 also filed a complaint-affidavit implicating 18 cops in the disappearances.
NAPOLCOM announced August 4 that it has imposed a 90-day preventive suspension on 12 involved active police officers. Six other police officers have already been dismissed.
A total of 34 cockfighting enthusiasts have been reported missing from 2021 to 2022. According to the police, the missing personalities were kidnapped allegedly due to match fixing or cheating in the cockfighting games.
Patidongan claimed that the victims were already buried in Taal Lake.
He named businessman Atong Ang as a mastermind in the case and also linked actress Gretchen Barretto to the disappearances. Both have denied the allegations.
On August 1, multiple murder, serious illegal detention, enforced disappearance, direct bribery, and obstruction of justice were filed against Ang, Barretto, and others. — BM, GMA Integrated News
