BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – If he’s man enough to enter a motel, he should be man enough to face investigation, too.
The police officer suspected of shooting a motel security guard has sent surrender feelers.
PO3 Anthony Pandagani may surface today, according to Senior Insp. Rey Legaspi, deputy chief of the Pavia, Iloilo police station.
Pandagani of the Pavia police station and a resident of Brgy. Sambag, Jaro district here is the suspect in shooting 23-year-old security guard Henry Biana at Katrina Lodge in La Paz district Wednesday morning last week.
The other day, Senior Supt. Cornelio Salinas, police provincial director, urged Pandagani to surrender and be man enough to face the consequences of his action.
Legaspi said Pandagani may surrender to Salinas.
“He was relieved right after the incident. He will be restricted at the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) while his case is under investigation,” Legaspi told Panay News.
The shooting happened around 1:15 a.m. while Pandagani, 32, was arguing with his woman companion and the lodge’s cashier over his unpaid bills.
Pandagani, married, would not pay his lodging house bill amounting to P170.
The police officer was with three male friends and four women. They entered rooms 7, 81, 9 and 33 in pairs.
A few minutes later, however, Pandagani informed the cashier he was leaving while arguing with his woman companion who was not his wife.
Biana checked what the commotion was about at the cashier’s office.
An altercation ensued between the cop and the guard.
The cop fired his .45 pistol, hitting the guard in his right arm.
Salinas said if Pagdagani failed to surrender, he would be marked absent without leave and be slapped with an administrative case for grave misconduct.
Grave misconduct is punishable with dismissal from service.
Pandagani would also be facing a criminal case for frustrated murder.
Guard Biana is a resident of Carmelo, Banate, Iloilo.
After shooting Biana, Pandagani fled and never reported to the Pavia police station.
Salinas ordered a manhunt operation./PN
