By AARON RECUENCO
A police lieutenant, who was among those accused of recycling more than 160 kilos of shabu and extorting millions of peso from an arrested drug lord in Pampanga in 2013, was ordered dismissed from the service, a top police official said.
But the dismissal of Police Lt. Joven de Guzman is not connected with the controversial Pampanga raid but on another offense in Antipolo City in May this year, committed after serving two years of “punishment” when he was assigned to Mindanao.
Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa, officer-in-charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the dismissal of de Guzman was based on a thorough review on the case leveled against him in connection with a case of grave misconduct being the team leader of a group of policemen accused of looting the house of a young man they accused of being involved in drugs in Antipolo City.
“I have ordered the dismissal from the police service of Police Lieutenant Joven de Guzman. His case satisfied all the requirements for due process to warrant dismissal,” said Gamboa.
De Guzman was initially recommended to be penalized with 59 days in connection with the case, but the Internal Affairs Service which recommended for his dismissal had protested. Gamboa also ordered a thorough review of de Guzman’s case.
