Nobleza, Cabamongan cases
Supt. Maria Christina Nobleza is not the first police official with such rank to run afoul of the law recently. Nobleza, together with her husband, alleged bomb maker Renierlo Dongon, was arrested in Clarin, Bohol on board a Nissan Navarra pickup truck for refusing to stop at a checkpoint. They were believed to be out to rescue remnants of the Abu Sayyaf Group elements that figured in a clash with government troops in Inabanga, Bohol more than two weeks ago.
Last month, a high-ranking police official identified as Supt. Lito Cabamongan was arrested in a shabu session in Las Piñas City. Interestingly, the last postings of Cabamongan and Nobleza before their arrests were with the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory.
The arrests beg the question of whether the PNP organization is monitoring the activities of its high ranking officials and, if it does, how come Cabamongan and Nobleza were able to do their thing. In the case of Cabamongan, for example, some of his colleagues must have known of his drug addiction. As for Nobleza, red flags must have been raised notably with regards to her relationship with Dongon.
Dongon is the brother-in-law of Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, the target of the operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2013 that resulted in the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) elements. His other sister is married to Abu Solaiman, another Abu Sayyaf leader. Still another sister married a Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) founder who was arrested in 2005. Dongon himself was arrested in 2013 but his case was eventually dismissed due to technicality.
To be fair, the PNP leadership must have bits of information about Nobleza’s activities because a day after she was arrested PNP Chief Ronald dela Rosa already gave reporters backgrounders on her and Dongon. Yet even Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Chief Noli Taliño asked why Nobleza’s whereabouts were not monitored after she skipped training in Camp Crame and, together with Dongon went to Leyte and then to Bohol.
The PNP leadership should learn something from the cases of Cabamongan and Nobleza.