2 Cotabato CIDT officers charged

KIDAPAWAN CITY – The chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Team (CIDT) in North Cotabato was slapped with an administrative case for allegedly concealing evidence when her team raided in June a suspected hideout of lawless elements in Midsay Midsayap town.

The case of dishonesty was filed agains against Sr, Insp. Doreen Mauricio, CIDT-Cotabato chief, by Sr. Insp. Joseph Porro III as nominal complainant at the office of the Regional Internal Service Affairs (RIAS-12) in Central Mindanao.

The case was filed almost three month months after Mauricio and her team raided the hideout of a certain Abdulrahim Ebrahim in Poblacion, Midsayap.

According to RIAS-12 regional director, lawyer Romegildo Alocelja, the CIDT-Cotabato confiscated from Ebrahim and two still unidentified suspects three heat-sealed cellophane containing white crystalline substance also known as ‘shabu’, a fragmentation grenade, and as assorted drug paraphernalia.

Accordingly, the suspects and the evidence, were brought to the headquarters of CIDG-ARMM in Cotabato City for investigation and possible filing of criminal charges.

Alocelja, however, discovered that the CIDT-Cotabato only filed illegal possession of explosives against the suspects.

“Surprisingly, Mauricio’s group did not include in the charge sheet violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. Also, the same items, meaning, the confiscated shabu, were not turned over to the Regional Crime Laboratory Office of the ARMM, which was just adjacent to the CIDG-ARMM office in Cotabato City,” said Alocelja.

Also included in the administrative case was CIDT-ARMM regional director Police Superintendent Cholijun Caduyac, Mauricio’s immediate superior.

Alocelja said Caduyac was charged with “less grave neglect of duty.”

“Under the law, if you are the immediate supervisor, automatically he’s included in the charge sheet so as to determine possible lapses of administration on his part,” said Alocelja.