Iloilo police chief relieved over slay probe ‘lapses’

Police Colonel Kim Legada, director of the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), has been relieved of his post effective following lapses in the investigation into the death of former Dueñas Vice Mayor Aimee Paz Lamasan.

Brigadier General Josefino Ligan, director of Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas), confirmed the decision during a press briefing, citing procedural errors in handling the case.

Col. Roland Bulalacao, PRO-6 deputy regional director for operations, has been named Officer-in-Charge of the ICPO, while Captain Jeffrey Delgado, station chief of Iloilo City Police Station 2, was also relieved.

“As a matter of procedure, because we observed lapses, it’s incumbent upon me to replace and relieve the city director and the station commander, pending further investigation,” Ligan said.

The regional director pointed to a critical mishandling of the crime scene. Operatives from the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) team were reportedly instructed not to process the area where the shooting occurred, a clear violation of standard police procedures.

“In every crime scene, especially a shooting, a SOCO team must properly document and process evidence,” Ligan stressed. “Yet on that day, no crime scene processing was conducted.”

Investigators are still looking into who was responsible for canceling, withdrawing, or delaying the SOCO team’s deployment.

The relief of Legada and Delgado comes amid heightened scrutiny after Interior and Local Government Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla visited Vice Mayor Lamasan’s wake on Wednesday.

During a case conference, Remulla confirmed that the incident was deemed an accidental firing, based on scene recreation, financial records, and family testimonies.

He also noted procedural missteps by the local police, particularly that the investigation did not start until after Lamasan’s death.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group is now leading the Special Investigation Task Group for the case.