"We will defend the Regional Mobile Group men who entered the Iloilo Capitol, adequate protection will be given to them."

This was the response yesterday of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez to the announced probe by the Commission on Human Rights on the "assault" on the Iloilo Capitol Wednesday by the police, who included the 6th RMG from Negros Occidental led by Senior Supt. Pedro Merced.

The police were tasked with serving a dismissal order on Gov. Niel Tupas, which was aborted after the Court of Appeals issued a temporary restraining order.

CHR chairwoman Purification Quisumbing said the probe will be conducted to determine if there were human rights violations committed by the police who stormed the Capitol.

"The problem with the CHR is they just watched television, they were not at the scene and have no basis," Gonzalez told the DAILY STAR.

Negros Occidental Gov. Joseph Marañon yesterday said it was disheartening that the RMG men from Negros were the ones who had to respond at the Iloilo Capitol.

There was an overuse of power and they should be reprimanded, he said.

That is the stand, not only of the governors of Western Visayas, but of the League of Provinces of the Philippines, he said.

"I believe that the president had nothing to do with the Iloilo incident and will not tolerate this kind of action against an elected government official," Marañon said.

He added that measures should be taken to prevent a repeat of what happened in Iloilo.

IT WAS PUNO - GONZALEZ SAYS

Gonzalez said the order for the RMG to enter the Capitol was made by Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno and not by him as alleged.

He also said the order was made because of information that there were released prisoners and New People's Army men inside the capitol at the time.

But Tupas yesterday denied the allegations of Gonzalez.

That is a lie, people inside the Capitol were not armed with weapons, only with rosaries, the governor told the DAILY STAR.

Tupas said his lawyers are studying the filing of charges against the police who entered the Capitol. "We are a government of laws and due process must be observed," he said.

FIRE ARMS PLOY

When the police entered the Capitol, firearms were thrown on the ground. It is a good thing non of his supporters picked them up or the police would have claimed those inside were armed, Tupas said.

Merced said he and his men entered the Capitol on orders of Chief. Supt. Wilfredo Dulay, Western Visayas police chief, in "close quarter battle formation" because of information that persons inside the building were heavily armed.

He said they were informed that people in the building were armed with M-16 rifles, machine pistols and shotguns, so they took a close quarter battle formation for any unexpected confrontations.

"But when we entered, we were surprised that there were no armed men," he said.

Merced said his men did not commit any human rights violations, manhandle or harm anybody, they were just enforcing an order to clear and secure the area, and arrest Tupas if he refused to leave the building.

RAID ON HOUSE

Tupas yesterday also said he had received information that there is also a plan to raid his house to search it for firearms.

There are no firearms in my house and I am not afraid of any raid, he said.

But Tupas said he would not put it past the raiders to plant firearms to make it appear like they belonged to him.

Gonzalez has denied ordering a raid on the Tupas residence.*CPG

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