Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde on Friday ordered the relief of the two Nueva Vizcaya police officials over procedural lapses in the case of a slain leftist consultant.

In a statement, PNP spokesman Senior Supt. Bernard Banac said the PNP chief had ordered the relief of Senior Supt. Jeremias Alugub and Chief Insp. Geovanni Cejes.

Their relief came after they allegedly released pieces of evidence in the case of the killing of National Democratic Front of the Philippines consultant Randy Malayao, without appropriate clearance and in violation of established protocols.

While it is rare that police commanders themselves handle pieces of evidence, they are usually sacked because of command responsibility if their subordinates commit compromising mistakes.

To recall, Malayao was shot dead inside a bus that was traveling to Santiago, Isabela by a still unidentified suspect who boarded the passenger vehicle in Nueva Vizcaya before shooting him in Aritao town around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, director of the Cagayan Police Regional Office will designate the replacements of the two relieved officials.

This, as the Cagayan Valley police yesterday released the artist’s sketch of the three suspects in the murder of Malayao.

“The victim was still inside the bus when the gunman went inside before firing two successive shots upon the victim causing his untimely death,” the police report said.

Probers recovered a bullet and two pieces of cartridge case from the crime scene.

The death of Malayao was condemned by various groups — including the Communist Party of the Philippines and its founder, Jose Maria Sison, who denounced the slay as a “horrible act of state terrorism.”

Malacañang also condemned the killing, saying “there can be no act of violence against anyone.”