Criminal and administrative complaints will be filed against the former police chief of Dauis Lt. Bonifacio Tañola who allegedly broke health protocols and has been traced as patient zero in a COVID-19 outbreak in the municipality’s police station.
According to Bohol police Provincial Investigation and Detection Management Unit (PIDMU) deputy chief Major Lamberto Hibaya, they are preparing documents and other evidence which they will use to file charges against Tañola before the provincial prosecutor’s office next week.
“Ga kolekta na ta sa mga test results ug mga documents kay gi follow-up pud ni Gov. [Yap] ug PD [Clarito], Hibaya said.
Hibaya said they are also coordinating with Dauis’ new police chief, Major Gerald Luna, in conducting further investigations on the case.
Tañola has been accused of breaching health safety protocols when he went straight to the Dauis Police Station after arriving from Cebu earlier this month.
He allegedly skipped quarantine and did not present a negative PCR test prior to his arrival which are mandatory based on a provincial executive order.
According to Bohol Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) spokesperson Dr. Yul Lopez, 14 of Dauis’ 16 new cases which were identified on Tuesday were close contacts of Tañola.
“Kining 16 karon na bag-ong kaso sa Dauis, 14 niini ma-connect nimo sa chief of police, 10 ka member sa Dauis PNP, ang usa masahista na nagmasahe sa chief of police ug ang usa kusinero sa police station,” said Dr. Yul Lopez.
Meanwhile, Mayor Baba Yap announced that Tagbilaran City recorded four new local transmission cases of COVID-19 and all of them were traced to have been in contact with Tañola.
Based on data from the Capitol, some 23 police officers and two non-uniformed personnel of the Dauis Police Station have tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Joni Co, municipal health officer of Dauis town, earlier indicated that Tañola was highly likely to be the police station’s patient zero considering his recent travel to Cebu.
Tañola was also the first to be identified as a carrier of the virus among the town’s cops.
“Gikan man gud siya og Cebu, unya wa puy lain police na na-positive before niya,” Co said. (R. Tutas)