A family in Bangued, Abra is calling for an impartial inquiry over the alleged planting of evidence during the implementation of search warrants over their homes.
On Saturday (February 21), Bangued police implemented search warrants over two houses in barangay Dangdangla owned by the two Bio families.
In a press release, Bangued police claimed to have recovered one .45 pistol with a magazine and one bullet in one house and a hand grenade in one house at around 5 and 6 o’clock in the morning, respectively.
Police also claimed the search was done under express consent of the family members.
However, the Bio family recall a different encounter.
According to Mikee Domingo Azusano, whose father Michael Bio was subsequently arrested, Bangued police suddenly barged into their house at around 3 o’clock in the morning, destroying the locked bamboo gate and the doors of their house.
Thereafter, all residents were ordered to lie facing the floor, including three children and a senior citizen woman, while being held at gunpoint with rifles by at least five policemen without uniforms.
Thereafter, all lights in the house were switched off and the residents were ordered to move outside while some policemen confiscated the residents’ mobile phones.
Azusano said the police also immediately handcuffed his father.
Only one of the residents was allowed to accompany the policemen in the search and the family was prohibited from taking their own recording of the event, said Azusano.
She said during the initial search in the presence of her cousin Maerhylle Querido Bio, the police found nothing. However, the police conducted a re-search and found the pistol among the clothes of their 72-year-old grandmother Morada Bio and a grenade on top of a plastic cabinet in a room.
“How did the items magically appear? And we are not dumb to just place a grenade in such a place which could blow us all,” said Azusano in vernacular.
She also said the one mobile phone and her earnings as an overseas worker amounting to P50,000 went missing after the questionable search.
Azusano said the startling events caused extreme trauma and fear on the residents, especially the children aged 1, 2 and 6, and Morada.
Dangdangla Punong Barangay Ryan Luna also questioned the timing of the police in conducting the search as well as the lack of coordination with local officials.
Luna, whose house is only about 100 meters from the incident, said the two barangay kagawads who went to the scene were even misled into signing the search report as they were not present during the actual search.
He added that the family was also only shown the warrant after the police already entered their houses and conducted the search.
The family have sought assistance from a group of human rights lawyers for filing of appropriate cases.**Karlston Lapniten
