Senior Inspector Bonifer Gotas, one of the police officers implicated in the kidnap-slay of a former Bacolod barangay captain and his two companions, has been dropped from the rolls of the Philippine National Police since June 2 and is now facing dismissal from the police service, provincial police director Rosendo Franco said yesterday.

Gotas, former Sipalay police chief, has a pending arrest warrant and denied bail for the kidnap-slay of former Pahanocoy Brgy. Capt. Eleuterio Salabas, a brother-in-law of former Rep. John Orola, Maximo Lomoljo and Ricardo Suganob,police records show.

Gotas, who also used to be a member of the Bacolod City Police Office, was due for schooling when an arrest warrant was issued against him. He immediately applied for a vacation leave.

Franco, however, said the application for a vacation leave of Gotas was not acted upon, since it was then election period.

Other police officers named as respondents in the kidnap-slay charges are Chief Inspectors Clarence Dongail and Jimmy Fortaleza, Senior Inspector Jonathan Lorilla, SPO2 Freddie Natividad, SPO1 Nelson Grijaldo, Police Officers 2 Dennis Belandres and Ruel Villacanas, and PO1 Bernardo Cimatu.

Dropping from the rolls means forfeiture of salary and other benefits, Franco said.

He, however, said Gotas may still appeal this, but, if he cannot justify his AWOL (absent-without-leave) status, he will be dismissed. Gotas and the seven accused policemen, excluding Dongail, are also facing charges of malversation of public property for their failure to return the 11 firearms issued to them while they were still in active duty, police records showed.

The colleagues of Gotas who used to be BCPO members, had also been dropped earlier from the PNP roster of troops.*GPB

back to top