10 cops sacked over village chief’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — Ten police officers assigned to a barangay hall in Mandaluyong City were ordered relieved yesterday for failing to monitor an alleged gun-for-hire who shot dead a barangay chairman last week.

Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula, Eastern Police District director, reassigned the police team from Barangay Malamig to the city police headquarters to prevent them from influencing the case against watchman Christopher Calumbay, 36, who was arrested on Wednesday.

Two witnesses identified Calumbay, a watchman of Barangay Malamig, as the man who gunned down Barangay Poblacion chairman Godofredo Tolentino in a billiard hall on Oct. 13.

“The police team and the watchman were sharing an office at the barangay hall of Barangay Malamig. But it seems that the policemen were not able to monitor the gun-for-hire activities of Calumbay,” Sapitula said in an interview.

According to Sapitula, Senior Superintendent Joaquin Alva, city police chief, deploys policemen to barangay halls to help barangay officials maintain peace and order.

Tolentino’s killing was caught on closed-circuit television footage.

Sapitula said they identified and are hunting down the driver of the getaway vehicle Calumbay used.

Calumbay chose to remain silent over the charges against him but four lawyers came forward to represent him in the case.

Calumbay was charged with murder before the city prosecutor’s office on Thursday.