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BY MAE SINGUAY
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Tuesday, January 3, 2017
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BACOLOD City – A police officer from Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental is facing a murder charge.
Police Officer 1 Reagan Magracia shot and killed a civilian on New Year’s Day in Sitio Tabuc Suba, Barangay 1, Hinoba-an.
The 37-year-old Vicente Labanon of the same barangay died of a gunshot wound in the head.
The municipal police said the charge may be filed today at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in this capital city.
The Regional Internal Affairs Service of the Police Regional Office 18 (PRO-18) will also look into the administrative charges that may be slapped against Magracia.
Before the shooting, Magracia called his station to report about a scuffle at the Tupas Beach.
He told his colleagues that his brother-in-law, John Roll Caña, was attacked by Labanon, according to Senior Inspector Leomel Gonzaga, officer-in-charge of the Hinoba-an police station.
Magracia’s family was on excursion at the beach to celebrate the New Year.
Police investigation showed Magracia, a resident of Barangay Bacuyangan, Hinoba-an, intervened.
While the Magracias were walking away from the beach, Labanon verbally threatened them, prompting the police officer to run after the latter, said Gonzaga.
The chase led to the national highway.
Magracia drove a motorcycle to go after Labanon, police said, citing a witness.
Both had an altercation before Magracia mauled and then shot Labanon, said the police.
Labanon died on the spot. Magracia, meanwhile, turned himself in to the municipal police.
The officer also surrendered his service firearm, a .9mm Glock 17, with a magazine and 10 bullets.
Magracia, a police noncommissioned officer, was detained in the Hinoba-an police station lockup cell pending the filing of charges.
His service firearm’s muzzle had not been sealed for the holidays.
Director General Ronald dela Rosa, Philippine National Police chief, broke the tradition aimed at discouraging indiscriminate firing.
Dela Rosa had said the organization wants to show the public that the officers are disciplined and responsible enough in handling guns.
The PRO-18 supported this. “We need to give our policemen our trust,” the regional office’s spokesperson Chief Inspector Dianne Grace Catedral said last year.
“[We need to] show the community that our [police officers are] responsible enough in handling their service firearms and will only use them in legal police operations,” she added.
Magracia “will face criminal and administrative charges,” Catedral told Panay News in a text message.
“We should follow protocol and, of course, always think of the consequences of our actions,” she advised other police officers./PN
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