DAVAO CITY (MindaNews / 12 June)—Major Neil M. Vistar was relieved as station commander of the Calinan Police Station effective June 9, weeks after the rape-slay incident involving 28-year-old Architect Vlance Marie L. Bragas, a spokesperson for the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) said Monday.
Major Catherine dela Rey, DCPO spokesperson, told MindaNews that Vistar was replaced by Maj. Ricky Obenza, former station commander of the 1st City Mobile Force Company (CMFC).
Vistar, meanwhile, swapped places with Obenza as the 1st CMFC station commander, Dela Rey said.
Brig. Gen. Alden Delvo, regional director of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Davao, told reporters during an interview that he ordered the relief of Vistar to send a “strong message” to other chiefs of police to immediately solve crimes in their respective areas of responsibility or prevent them from happening.
Meanwhile, Col. Albert Lupaz, DCPO director, said that many were dissatisfied as to how Vistar handled the incident, resulting in his relief as the police station commander.
A complaint for rape with homicide was filed last June 5 before the City Prosecutor’s Office against Renato Ali Bayansao, Kent Laurence Metegreto Espinosa, Dennis Roy P. Panzan, and another unidentified person, who were tagged as suspects who raped and killed Bragas.
The 18-year-old Panzan, resident of Purok 7 in Barangay Lacson here, was reported missing at 9:30 a.m. of May 27. Espinosa, 26, meat vendor and resident of Purok 18, Megaville Street, Calinan, was also declared missing at 3:30 p.m. of the same day, leading police to suspect they were both abducted by still unidentified suspects.
At 8:05 a.m. of May 29, Panzan was found by authorities already severely injured in Matina Pangi, but he died an hour later at the Davao Adventist hospital.
Bayansao, the driver of the pedicab (or locally known as “Ombak”) hailed and boarded by Bragas, was arrested during a buy-bust operation of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA)-Davao last May 28 at Purok 8 in Calinan.
Lupaz said police are now investigating the abduction of the two suspects as he urged the public to immediately report to police authorities any information that would help them establish the identity of the persons who took Panzan and Espinosa.
He said police are now coordinating with their families to gather any information that could aid them in the investigation. (Antonio L. Colina IV / MindaNews)
