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MANILA, Philippines – Two police officers were demoted for a case of serious misconduct, which stemmed from allegations of illegal arrest and conducting a search without proper warrants, the city government said on Friday.
In a statement, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte said that patrolmen Zaldy Mejos Jr. and Julie Boison received a one-rank demotion sanction based on a decision by District 1 of the People’s Law Enforcement Board (PLEB) of Quezon City.
The police officers were demoted after receiving a complaint from one Marissa Torres, who accused that the two police officers searched her home and arrested her without the proper warrants issued by the court on January 19, 2019.
The officers denied the charges and said they were on foot patrol when they received a report that Torres was carrying a firearm.
Boison said he found the muzzle of a suspicious firearm inside the shoulder bag at Torres’ sari-sari store. This led the police to search the interior of Torres’ residence.
Later, police officers arrested Torres after they discovered a firearm and suspected narcotics inside the victim’s home. Torres, however, said the weapon and the illegal drugs were planted evidence.
According to the decision of QC PLEB, the police carried out the arrest without a warrant. He also said that the search and seizure carried out by the accused police officers “cannot be justified under the naked eye doctrine.”
“We have no agenda other than to deliver justice. Constitutional rights are there to be respected, ”said PLEB Executive Officer Atty Rafael Calinisan.[ac]
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