ILOILO CITY - The Office of the Ombudsman is investigating whether policemen who assaulted the Iloilo provincial capitol last month were following lawful orders.

Marifi Chua, director of the Ombudsman's Military and Other Law Enforcement Offices, said the five-member task force investigating the incident will determine whether the assault force was enforcing legal orders when they stormed the capitol to implement the dismissal order against Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr.

Chua said that they will also investigate whether there was excessive use of force and if the policemen had followed the prescribed rules of engagement.

The task force headed by Over-All Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro started its investigation yesterday in a public hearing held at the Ombudsman regional office here.

Aside from Chua, the members of the task force are Officer-in-Charge Ombudsman of the for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago, Assistant Ombudsman Dina Joy Teñala and Mary Antonette Yalao, Graft Investigating Prosecuting Officer II.

The task force was created on Jan. 22 by Ombudsman Ma. Merceditas Guiterrez to investigate the implementation of the of the Dec. 4 dismissal order against Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. and provincial board members Domingo Oso Jr. and Cecilia Capadosa who were found guilty of graft.

Casimiro said they want to find out if any excesses were committed by policemen and other government officials in the implementation of the order.

"If there is any violation, we would like to determine who is responsible," Casimiro said.

Casimiro said they will file administrative and criminal charges against those found with violations.

An investigating committee of the Philippine National Police had earlier cleared all the 265 policemen who took part in the assault including 65 heavily armed members of the Regional Mobile Group.*NPB

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