THE family of Enrique Fernandez III, who has been missing since October 23, said on Wednesday, November 16, was disappointed with the slow pace of the police investigation prompting them to seek help from National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Fernandez’ family also said they believed that the city police may have suspected the involvement of their fellow policemen in the alleged kidnapping, causing them to draw out in conducting the investigation.
"Ila man ming gipansin pero dugay lang lage, gipabalik-balik mi, ipasa-pasa, wala nami kasabot kay basin nakahibalo sila nga ilang pulis lang gihapon ang mga suspek (They took notice of it but it was too late. We went back several times and we don't understand because they think they know their police are the suspects)," Enrique Fernandez Jr., the victim's father said.
Fernandez said they reported the supposed kidnapping at the Carmen Police Station on October 24, a day after an eyewitness told them of the incident and about how the incident may have been caught on camera.
After reporting to the police, the victim's mother Jean Fernandez went to Condotel at Upper Balulang to ask for a copy of the CCTV recording but the hotel management told her she would need to secure a letter of request from the police.
"Two policemen faced me, they wrote a request sa management, but we did not see it gyud, giubanan mi nila and when we got there they told us nga sila lang daw muuna ug sulod, so naghulat mi sa gawas (Two policemen faced me, they wrote a request to the management, but we did not see it personally, the police go with us and when we got there they told us that they will go in first, so we waited outside," she said.
The manager of the hotel upon their arrival was not around making the family wait outside.
"Giingnan mi dayon sa management nga wala daw ilahang manager, they told us the manager will come sa lunch time pa, so nagpasalig ang police nga sila nalang muadto ug balik sa hotel, so we agreed but after several times of contacting them, dili na sila macontact (The management told us that their manager was not around yet, he will come by lunch time, so the police promised us to be the one to follow up, so we agreed, but after several times of contacting them, they are out of reach)," she added.
"Pero nanawag sila the next day, naa na daw ang cctv sa bingohan ug paadtuon mi sa carmen so ning-adto mi sa police. Pag-abot namo, one policeman told us nga ang copy daw naa sa iyang kauban nga policeman, told me to wait, pero wala nila gihatag so we decided nga kami nalang muadto sa condotel pero dili napud nila mahatag (The next day, they [police] called us, saying they have the copy of CCTV [footage] already and directed us to go to Carmen police. When we arrived there, one policeman told us the copy was with his co-police so he told us to wait, but in the end they did not give any. So we decided to go personally in the condotel but they won’t give us a copy anymore)," Fernandez said.
The victim’s mother said they were finally forced to seek help from the NBI on October 26 after they grew impatient with the pace of the police investigation.
The mother said the CCTV recording that they were able to get hold of was not from condotel but from a nearby establishment which the NBI was able to secure on October 26.
"The CCTV was like God's way in helping us uncover the truth," she said.
Through the CCTV recording, the NBI was able to identify the suspects as Senior Inspector Ereneo Ramirez, chief of the Crime Against Person and Property Desk and his subordinates Police officer 3 Alejandro Ubanan, Senior Police Officer 2 Jojo Lim, Senior Police Officer 1 Alaindelon Tacubao, and Police Officer 2 Hussein Bolanio, all members of the Crime Against Person and Property Desk (CAPPD) unit of Cocpo.
After seeing the CCTV recording, the older Fernandez said he went to the Cocpo headquarters and even came face-to-face with one of the suspects, Senior Inspector Ereneo Ramirez.
She said they also went to the house of another suspect, Police Officer 3 Alejandro Ubanan who also denied knowledge of the supposed abduction.
Fernandez said he also met with Cocpo Police Superintendent Ronnie Cariaga.
Cariaga summoned all the five into his office but, Fernandez said, by then the suspects had gone absence without leave.
Fernandez said Cariaga then advised the family to seek help from NBI to avoid perceptions of a "whitewash" or "cover-up."
