The Tagbilaran City Prosecutor’s Office has dismissed the grave threat complaint filed by a city policeman against a Philippine Army officer in April.
In a three-page resolution, Assistant City Prosecutor Adolfo Doroy recommended the dismissal of the complaint against Lt. Col. Elisio Betinol, Jr. for lack of evidence. It was approved by City Prosecutor Bibiana Bautista.
The assistant city prosecutor pointed out that the statement of Betinol to go “to war” against him if the complainant, Staff Sgt. Jose Rebosura, wanted to have one was not a threat but a challenge or a “provocation to fight” which is not a crime.
Doroy said that although the incident was not a crime, he nonetheless found Betinol’s action “disgraceful.”
“The undersigned finds the actuations of respondent disgraceful. Unfortunately, it does not amount to a threat to inflict a crine on the private complainant,” the resolution read.
Prior to the release of the resolution, Betinol who was then the commanding officer of the 702nd Bohol Community Defense Center of the Army Ready Reserve Command based in Camp Esteban Bernido in Tagbilaran City, was relieved from his post pending investigation.
The findings and recommendations of the prosecutor’s office were dated April 24, but Betinol’s camp received a copy of these on Saturday last week due to delays in the resolution of the complaint caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
The case against Betinol stemmed from a reported confrontation between him and police officers of the Tagbilaran City Police Station.
In the incident report of the Tagbilaran City police, it was stated that Betinol with several soldiers in full battle gear appeared before the police station and “furiously asked the whereabouts of the city chief of police,” who was then Lt. Col. Jimmy Aguisanda.
The confrontation was reported to have started due to an earlier incident in which elements of the Tagbilaran Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) unit went to Camp Bernido in response to a noise complaint.
The police officers who noted that the camp’s main gate was open with no guards stationed to man the entrance were responding to a complaint against loud videoke singing.
A four-man SWAT team reportedly approached and rendered a salute to Betinol before requesting to have the volume lowered.
In response to the request, Betinol was quoted as saying “aw abi kog dakpon ko nimu dong kay akoa jud rapiduhon ng inyong patrol.” (A. Doydora)