IRIGA CITY – A member of this city’s police force has been ordered suspended for 60 days without pay by the PNP Regional Office in Legazpi City for grave misconduct he committed five years ago.

        Records of the case show that on Nov. 27, 2002 Traffic Division Chief SPO3 Leon Barbonio poked his firearm on Rebecca Almojano-Olea and slapped Miraflor Almojano while the duo were having a heated argument with brothers Herbert and Gaudencio Espiritu.

        Prior to the incident, both Rebecca and Mariflor had already sustained physical injuries allegedly inflicted on them by the Espiritu brothers in the presence of Barbonio who did not lift a finger to pacify the aggressors.

        While Barbonio denied the charges, the Regional Internal Affairs Services (RIAS) of the PNP Regional Command in Camp Simeon Ola gave weight to the victims’ testimonies.

        IN its decision suspending the police officer, RIAS stated: “After a painstaking examination of the records of the case, we are constrained to state that we found no persuasive, much less, compelling reason to disbelieve the testimony of the complainants and their witnesses.”

        The decision also emphasized that Barbonio violated his sworn duty when he pushed Miraflor to the ground and slapped her and then poked his service firearm on Rebecca.

        “He completely disregarded the fact that complainants were already victims of previous violence committed against their persons and also, they (the victims) belong to the weaker gender,” the decision added.

        Aside from his suspension, Barbonio also faces pending criminal cases filed by the two complainants.