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The provincial
police command has sought the transfer of Supt. Eduardo Saavedra
to a post in the regional police headquarters after he was
linked to a P20-million worth of robbery of heavy equipment
in Ubay town.
Saavedra,
who was the chief of police in Ubay, is currently on "floating
status", according to Bohol Police Director SSupt. Edgardo
Ingking in an interview with the Chronicle yesterday.
Ingking
bared that he has requested the PNP regional office to transfer
Saavedra to prevent undue influence of ongoing investigations
levelled against him.
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An
administrative complaint for grave misconduct and serious
irregularity in the performance of duty was filed by
Ingking against Saavedra at the National Police Commission
(Napolcom) Central Visayas.
Meanwhile,
charges of theft is being prepared by SCP Construction,
which owns the heavy equipment pilfered and stolen by
two suspects allegedly with the knowledge of Saavedra.
The
case stemmed from a series of pilferage and the eventual
loss of 11 heavy equipment stationed in barangays Bulilis
and Himbabauran, Ubay town.
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The
heavy equipment were owned by SCP Construction, one of the
contractors building lateral canals of the BHIP-2 (Bayongan
Dam).
In
his affidavit, SCP Construction administrative officer Engr.
Ismael Malagar identified two of the suspects as Ciriaco Bulilis
and Anita Felisilda. Both are residents of Ubay town.
According
to Malagar, the first theft happened sometime in July where
the suspects allegedly cut-up and stole parts of the parked
heavy equipment.
This
incident was followed by major thefts of body parts of the
said equipment.
These
incidents were reported to the Ubay police station headed
by Saavedra, according to Malagar.
However,
Malagar claimed there was no sincere action on the part of
Saavedra regarding the incidents.
On
October 20, Malagar received a text message that one of their
equipment, a Kawasaki KLD 95 pay loader was again cut up by
unidentified persons.
The
pay loader's parts including its bucket, hydraulics and cylinder
booms were reportedly loaded in a boom truck in barangay Himbabauran,
Malagar said.
He
immediately informed Ingking regarding the relayed information.
Ingking
called up Saavedra instructing the latter to seize the stolen
parts and apprehend the suspects. Ingking asked for immediate
reports of Saavedra's action.
Instead,
one SPO2 Ferdinand Vergara of the Ubay PNP was sent by Saavedra
to respond to the incident.
When
Malagar went to the site on said day, however, he was surprised
that the parts and the equipment where already gone including
the suspects.
According
to Malagar, despite the report that the equipment were stolen,
Saavedra allegedly had a "lukewarm attitude" towards
the incident.
In
a separate affidavit, Vergara stated that when he responded
to the scene, he saw several armed men together with the suspects.
Vergara said he could not arrest them as he did not have a
back-up.
According
to Vergara, he was later told by Saavedra to allow the suspects
to leave with the stolen parts as these were "justified
payments" for rental owed by SCP Construction to the
lot owner where the equipment were placed.
Malagar
told the Chronicle that the amount of the stolen equipment
amounts to some P20-million.
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