A police colonel and three of his men are now in hot water for gambling within the station headquarters of Sipalay City where they were caught on video footage by a television network last week.

Senior Supt. Rosendo Franco, provincial police director, yesterday ordered an investigation of Supt. (lieutenant colonel) Jomil John Trio, Sipalay police chief, and three policemen caught in the act of playing cards at the police station, as shown by ABS-CBN Bacolod.

Trio was included in the investigations under the principle of command responsibility, being the city police chief of Sipalay, Franco said.

Franco said he has been reminding policemen to always be visible and he visits them to check on their readiness, in the wake of attacks by the New People's Army on isolated police outposts.

The identities of the policemen engaged in illegal gambling were, however, not available as of press time.

Franco said the three may be administratively charged for misconduct.

The Sipalay police station was reported last year to be among the targets of rebel attacks, after the unsuccessful assault on the San Jose police outpost by New People's Army rebels in December 2006.

Police records show that 20 Sipalay policemen, including Senior Inspector Bonifer Gotas, then city police chief, were relieved and made to undergo re-training, after the escape of five inmates, in 2005.*GPB

back to top