A THIRD policeman implicated in the kidnapping of an e-Sabong master agent in Laguna in August 2021 on Saturday night surrendered to the Philippine National Police-Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group in Calauan, Laguna.
PNP chief Gen. Rodolfo S. Azurin Jr. said dismissed Cpl. Roy Navarette, 37, of Patimbao, Sta. Cruz, Laguna, on Saturday turned himself over to the PNP-IMEG.
PNP-IMEG head Brig. Gen. Warren F. de Leon said the accused cop surrendered at 6:30 p.m. last Saturday.
De Leon said that Navarette, accompanied by his wife, voluntarily surrendered to officers of the IMEG Luzon Field Unit 4-A inside the Calauan Municipal Police Station in Calauan, Laguna.
Navarette was implicated in the alleged abduction of ‘e-Sabong’ master agent Ricardo Lasco in San Pablo City on August 30, 2021.
Two others former colleagues of Navarette from the Laguna Police Provincial Office identified as dismissed Pat. Rigel Brosas and Cpl. Daryl Paghangaan also surrendered to the PNP-IMEG last Friday.
Brosas yielded at 2:45 p.m. last Friday in Rizal, Laguna while Paghangaan surrendered in Liliw town five hours later.
All three are the subject of a warrant of arrest for robbery, kidnapping and serious illegal detention issued by Judge Luvida Roque of the San Pablo City Regional Trial Court Branch 29 on Tuesday last week.
“We’re looking at a good breakthrough in our ongoing investigation into the cases of the missing ‘sabungeros,’ especially if the three will cooperate. I really hope they will cooperate and sabihin na nila ano ba talaga nangyari to give justice to the missing h victims and their families,” Azurin said.
According to Azurin, in the event that they will discover the lesser participation of the accused in the case of the missing persons, they can ask proper authorities to evaluate if the accused cops can be placed under the Witness Protection Program of the government.
He added that they are also ready to provide security to the accused and their families if they will decide to cooperate with investigators and spill the beans on what really happened to the victims.
