BY AARON RECUENCO
The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has started investigating a local police operation in Sipalay City, Negros Occidental last Saturday that led to the death of a 25-year-old man wanted for robbery with homicide.
Police Col. Roger James Brillantes, director of the IAS-Police Regional Office 6, said the conduct of the motu propio investigation is part of the protocol to ensure that police forces observe Police Operational Procedures especially in operations that would lead to the injury or death of arrested suspects.
IAS Inspector General Alfegar Triambulo has ordered all IAS offices across the country to make their presence felt in the conduct of investigation on police operations amid allegations of abuses, extra-judicial killings, and blatant violations of police operational protocols.
Brillantes said the operation in Barangay San Jose at around 3 a.m. led to the death of Eddie Epogon after he allegedly tried to fight off joint police and military operatives who served the warrant against him for illegal possession of firearms and explosives and robbery with homicide.
Brillantes said they have already received a copy of the operational report on the operation for review as part of the IAS investigation.
