ILOILO CITY---The Philippine National Police yesterday admitted that there were excesses in the Wednesday's assault of the Iloilo provincial capitol following condemnation from the Commission on Human Rights and various sectors.

"The television footages and pictures in the newspapers undeniably showed that there were excesses," Chief Supt. Wilfredo Dulay, Western Visayas police chief, said in a telephone interview.

Dulay said the breaking of the building's capitol glass doors and pointing of guns at civilians were not part of orders to the policemen.

"They were ordered to immediately secure the civilians to spare them harm in case a firefight occurs but they instead pointed their firearms at the civilians," Dulay said.

Video footages showed a member of the Regional Mobile Group breaking the glass doors at the back of the entrance of the capitol even after other policemen had already entered the building

Dulay said the mallet was meant to open padlocked iron gates but not for the glass doors or windows.

More than 200 policemen, including anti-riot teams and members of the Regional Mobile Group backed by a V-150 armored personnel carrier, stormed the capitol to remove Iloilo Gov. Niel Tupas Sr. who had refused to follow a dismissal order of the Ombudsman and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Dulay said he has ordered the Regional Internal Affairs Service to investigate the incident. He instructed the RIAS to request for video footages of the incident and identify the policemen who committed excesses.

"We will get their side to explain their actions based on their individual judgment because some of what they did were not part of their orders," Dulay said.*NPB

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