The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) has started its investigation on the local police operation in Sipalay City in Negros Occidental that left a man wanted for robbery with homicide dead on Saturday, Feb. 20.
Col. Roger James Brillantes, director of the IAS-Police Regional Office 6, told the Manila Bulletin said the conduct of the motu-propopio investigation is part of the protocol to ensure that police forces observe Police Operational Procedures especially on operations that would lead to the injury or death of arrested suspects.
IAS Inspector-General Alfegar Triambulo has ordered all IAS offices across the country to make their presence felt in the conduct of investigation on police operations amid allegations of abuses, extra-judicial killings and blatant violations of police operational protocols.
Brillantes said the operation in Barangay San Jose in Sipalay City at around 3 a.m. on Saturday led to the death of 25-year old man Eddie Epogon after he allegedly tried to fight it out with joint police and military operatives who served the warrant against him.
Epogon is facing cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives and robbery with homicide. The arrest warrant for robbery with homicide case was issued in November last year.
Brillantes said they already received a copy of the operational report on the operation for review as part of the IAS investigation.