His Excellency's excellent mistake of kutso-kutso demands an exit

Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Negros | PRESS STATEMENT | August 18, 2011 | Reference: Christian Tuayon, Secretary General | Mobile #:09217859554 |  If there is any amount of decency left in him, His Excellency, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr. should beat a hasty retreat.
 
As the Senate continues to investigate the used chopper controversy, the leadership of the National Police should also probe their Region 6 police director to see if one of the rotors has been stuck in Querol’s brain.
 
Querol the Datu accused the Northern Negros Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (NNAHRA) and its chairperson, Bernardino Patigas, of being part of the network of the “local communist movement” that he linked to Escalante City Mayor Melecio Yap.
 
NNAHRA is one of the member-organizations of Karapatan-Negros and we are proud to stand alongside its officers and members in demanding for an apology from Querol and for his resignation from the post.
 
Without proof, Querol accused Patigas as being a longtime friend and advocate of Yap – a relationship, which he says is indicative of the long-standing cooperation between the “local communist movement” or the New People’s Army and the chief executive.
 
While Mr. Patigas has admitted that he and Mayor Yap have been “working together” for a long time now – this does not refer to any underground activity but Yap’s support for NNAHRA’s advocacy work in Escalante City.  
 
Querol also charged but did not offer any proof that NNAHRA is one of the recipients of financial assistance from Mayor Yap. He mentioned this in the same breath that he accused Yap of giving assault rifles and a .45 caliber pistol to NPA guerrillas.
 
To make matters worse, Sec. Jesse Robredo of the Interior and Local Government, as chair of the National Police Commission, and all the other Napolcom commissioners did not grant any opportunity to Mr. Patigas and NNAHRA to answer the allegations that he passes off as fact.
 
All these were contained in a “confidential report” bereft of any evidence that Querol submitted to the Napolcom National Office that conducted an investigation based on the complaint submitted by the Bishop of San Carlos.
 
This is alarming, to say the least, that a regional police chief knows no distinction between legal activist organizations and the underground Left. By linking NNAHRA and the NPA, Querol has practically offered fresh proof that the government’s counter-insurgency program makes no delineation between civilians and armed combatants.
 
It is alarming, to say the least, that the region has a director who knows not that accusation is not proof and that rumors are called as kutso-kutso in Ilonggo.   
 
Worse, Querol has conveniently covered up the alleged complicity of PO2 Johnny Urbano in several crimes including the murder of a Bacolod businessmen and his involvement with drug syndicates in the north by suddenly shifting the suspicion to NNAHRA and Patigas.
 
A datu is a man of honor. And a man of honor would own up to his mistakes. We expect Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol to make his ancient position proud.

He should get out of Region VI.###