Pasay intel chief slain by cops? PNP probes

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde yesterday ordered an investigation of the death of an intelligence officer in a law enforcement operation following allegations of foul play from the victim’s family.

Albayalde directed National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Guillermo Eleazar to conduct a thorough probe of the death of Senior Inspector Manuel Taytayon Jr., chief of the Pasay police’s intelligence unit.

“We assured them of a fair and honest investigation,” he told reporters in an ambush interview.

Albayalde conferred the medal of merit to Taytayon, who was killed in a shootout on Sunday with a suspect in the killing of a Grab driver in Pasay City.

Taytayon’s father, Manuel Sr., a former police officer, was quoted in an ABS-CBN report expressing doubt about his son’s death after learning that he sustained two gunshots in the back and in the leg.

“I saw my son’s gunshot wounds. I saw the direction of the bullets. I talked to the doctor who did the autopsy and I suspected there was something amiss,” he said in Filipino.

He wondered why his son sustained gunshot wounds in the back while the suspect,  Narc Delemios, had wounds on the front of his body.

Delemios was charged with the murder of Gerardo Maquidato Jr. in 2017.

Citing the results of an autopsy on Taytayon’s corpse, Albayalde said the victim had two fatal shots on the back. The slugs were recovered from the police official’s body came from the suspect’s 9mm pistol.

Taytayon sustained two more gunshot wounds in other parts of his body, according to Albayalde. Forensic examiners have yet to recover the slugs to determine if these also came from the suspect or Taytayon’s fellow police officers.

Albayalde said the other policemen who were with Taytayon during the operation have not been suspended but are being investigated.

“They are under the custody of the station commander,” he said.

Albayalde said it is possible Taytayon turned his back and sought cover when the suspect opened fire.

“That’s human nature, when you hear a gunfire that first thing that you do is to duck. What we are looking into is if he went ahead of the team,” he said.

In the event there is foul play, Albayalde vowed the police officer found responsible will be held accountable.

Eleazar said he has transferred the eight police officers involved in Sunday’s operation to other departments in the city police.

He added that he does not see any reason to remove Senior Superintendent Noel Flores from his post as city police chief.