Makati’s No. 2 cop shot dead

**gearspeed** · May 25th, 2007 03:10 PM

Makati’s No. 2 cop shot dead
Youngest of 5 brother policemen

By Jeannette Andrade
Inquirer
Last updated 03:56am (Mla time) 05/25/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- With four police officers in the Bocalbos family, nobody thought that Supt. Jovem Bocalbos, the Makati City deputy chief of police, would meet his end in a single act of senseless violence.

Even as Supt. Joaquin Bocalbos and twins SPO2 Joseph Pablo Bocalbos and SPO4 Joseph Pedro Bocalbos looked at the body of their brother, who was inside a white flag-draped coffin, they could hardly believe that he had ended up a victim of murder.

The 38-year-old Bocalbos, a member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) for 16 years, died from a single bullet pumped into the back of his head by an armed robber.

Jovem, a father of three young children, just assumed the post as deputy chief of police in Makati City on May 7.

He was moonlighting as a passenger van driver to augment his income when robbers held up the vehicle carrying 13 other passengers in Quezon City.

Maria Cristina Bocalbos, Jovem’s widow, tearfully said, “He only ferried passengers for fun. We tried to talk him out of it but he did not want anybody else driving his van.”

Jovem’s 35-year-old wife said that they bought the green Nissan Urvan (XED-744) in February and it was only several weeks ago that he decided to convert it into a public utility vehicle.

“There were other cops who ferry passengers using their private vehicles. He was encouraged to follow suit. He also thought that the money he earned from ferrying passengers could give additional income for our children,” she said.

Jovem left three kids with Maria Cristina: Jack Luis, 13; Jill Christie,12; and, Jaricc, 6.

“Whoever did this will answer to the law,” said Supt. Joaquin Bocalbos, who is deputy station commander at the Pandacan police station of the Manila Police District, as he looked at his younger brother’s body at the Funeraria Filipinas in Las Piñas City.
The older Bocalbos pointed out that the robbers could just have fled with their loot and spared his brother.

“There was no threat posed to them. They outnumbered my brother. They already got his gun. Why did they have to kill him? he said.

Based on initial police reports, the five suspects boarded Jovem’s Nissan Urvan between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. at the Metro Rail Transit station on Quezon Avenue, and announced a robbery upon reaching Commonwealth Avenue.

One of them shot Bocalbos when they discovered he had a gun strapped to his waist, investigators said.

Joaquin disclosed that Jovem’s death followed their brother Joannem’s death while he was still training with the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).

Bigger tragedy

Joaquin said that the bigger tragedy was that the robbers ended the career of a promising and intelligent police official, who could have contributed much to the PNP.

He said that Jovem finished second in the PNPA class of 1991 and finished at the top of his intelligence course class.

He also showed exemplary writing skills, which earned him a place as public information officer and police community relations chief of then Southern Police District (SPD) Director Sr. Supt. Ricardo Padilla.

Puzzled

“He was an aggressive officer. When he ordered things done, he wanted them done right away. If a pursuit was required, he made a pursuit,” said Joaquin, who admitted that the incident in which his brother refused to fight off the robbers puzzled him.

But he said Jovem might have “sized up the situation” and thought that he could not fight off the robbers without hurting innocent civilians.

“He might have thought to himself that he was outnumbered and that he needed to secure his passengers that is why he never attempted to fight. He might also have thought that as soon as the robbers ransack their valuables, they would just escape,” he said.

Based on reports from the Quezon City Police District Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDU), the shooting happened at around 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening, on Commonwealth Avenue in Fairview area.

Suspects posed as passengers

Jovem was plying the Quezon Avenue to Almar-Zabarte Road in Novaliches when the suspects, who posed as passengers, drew their handguns and announced the heist.

The robbers then instructed Bocalbos to pull over and then commandeered the vehicle.

Bocalbos was ordered to sit at the middle portion of the vehicle while the designated driver of the group made a U-turn at the stoplight near Fairview Market.

However, the suspects reportedly noticed the victim’s constant shifting of position and frisked him. It was then that the gunman disarmed him and shot him in the nape.

Divested of valuables

At this juncture, while Bocalbos sat bleeding, the other suspects divested the passengers of their valuables and took the police officer’s service firearm.

The robbers drove the vehicle to Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong City, where they abandoned it with the 14 passengers still aboard.

As soon as the suspects were out of sight, one of the victims took over the steering wheel and drove the Urvan to the M-Tech Hospital in Makati City in an attempt to save Supt. Bocalbos but to no avail.

The police officer was declared dead on arrival at the hospital at around 8:45 p.m.

Ferried passengers for fun

The twins SPO2 Joseph Pablo and SPO4 Joseph Pedro, who are respectively assigned with the Pasay City Police of the Southern Police District and the Manila Police District, respectively, expressed sadness and shock over their brother’s death, shaking their heads that their younger brother had to go before them.

The Bocalbos expressed faith that the institution that their family has been so much a part of, the PNP, would place Jovem’s killers behind bars.

Earning honest buck

Chief Supt. Samuel Pagdilao, spokesperson of the PNP, promised swift police action to arrest the perpetrators of Jovem’s murder.

“It’s very unfortunate. He was just trying to earn an honest buck during his off-duty hours,” Pagdilao said.

Pagdilao said the leadership of the national police force would make sure Bocalbos’ family get the benefits due the slain police officer.

He said the salary of a policeman was not enough.

The QCPD has come up with artist’s sketches of three of the five suspects.

“Almost all units are moving and have momentarily set aside their current work to focus on the case,” QCPD Director Sr. Supt. Magtanggol Gatdula said.

The suspected gunman, a witness and victim recalled, had allegedly told Bocalbos before shooting him in the back of the head, “I know your style. I am also a police officer.”

But Gatdula said the QCPD was still verifying the information, pointing out, “Anybody can claim to be a cop to mislead the investigation. We are looking into that right now.”

Colleagues and friends remembered the slain police officer to be an unassuming man who went about his work quietly but effectively.

Model officer

“He was a model officer. I think he did a good job representing the police force in the community,” said Bocalbos’ former boss, Chief Supt. Roberto Rosales, Southern Police District director.

“I think he brought dignity to his position,” Rosales said.

Bocalbos was Rosales’ community relations officer before he transferred to his post as deputy chief of police of Makati.

“He was very professional. Every day he would come to the office in a clean and neatly pressed uniform,” the official said.

The city’s chief of police, Gilbert Cruz, said Bocalbos was able to implement police procedures well. “He was OK. He performed his duties well,” he said.

Rarity

More than that, Cruz said Bocalbos was a straight and decent cop -- traits considered to be a rarity in the PNP.

“I studied his files, and there were no disciplinary actions meted out to him,” he said. “He was clean.”

His death at the hands of armed robbers saddened Rosales and Cruz, who considered him a loss to the police force.

Even once in his career, Rosales said he had to sell meat and fish products to add to his meager earnings as a policeman.

“Every day, policemen face risks to their lives, but despite that, the compensation is not enough,” Rosales said.

Cruz said there were probably more policemen like Bocalbos who had to moonlight as drivers to earn more.

Need to adjust salaries

The killing of Bocalbos underscores the need to adjust the salaries of police personnel, Makati Mayor-elect Jejomar Binay said Thursday.

He deplored the “dismal plight” of the members of the PNP, which he blamed on the inadequacy of their pay and benefits.

“Many of them, especially those with families to support, have been compelled to take on odd jobs while off duty, even those that they know are very risky, just to earn the extra income they need to survive,” Binay said.

Even as the reelected mayor expressed his condolences to the victim’s family, he took the national government to task for failing its duty to uplift the conditions of PNP personnel.

He noted that despite the Makati government’s support to its police force, including monthly allowances of between P1,500 and P2,000, it was still the national government’s “greater responsibility” to improve the police personnel’s living conditions. With reports from DJ Yap, Kristine Liu and Alcuin Papa

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**chua_riwap** · May 25th, 2007 05:56 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong, di ba lalabas na colorum yung private van niya kung ginagawa nya itong pambiyahe just like an FX taxi?

Anyway, nakakaawa naman siya. Sa kagustuhan nyang kumita ng extra, dahil sa liit ng kinikita niya, dun pa siya nabiktima ng mga "halang ang kaluluwang" holdaper.

Saludo po ako sa inyo.

**Galactus** · May 25th, 2007 06:12 PM

Its amazing na despite his relatively high rank, nagsa-sideline pa rin sya para ma-augment yung income nya. Its a testament na he's an honest and hardworking cop. Bibihira ang mga pulis na ganyan.

My condolences to his family. Sana matigok agad yung mga salarin.

**mazdamazda** · May 25th, 2007 07:44 PM

2 of the perps were already arrested...

**fearless** · May 25th, 2007 07:56 PM

nakita ko yan sa news kagabi,nakakawa naman yang pulis na yan,kasi nagpapakahirap para madagdagan yung kita niya, tapos ginanyan pa siya,biruin mo deputy ng makati police and colonel pa siya nagpapsada ng van sa commonwealth para madagdagan yung kita niya.

yan ang honest policeman!
condolence to his family and may he rest in peace.

**mike01** · May 25th, 2007 08:02 PM

it does not fit..superintendent ka na nag sa sideline ka pa as driver?

also, mag pasada ka ba naman na may dala kang baril e..

my guess is he is doing undercover works pero naunahan lang sya.. yung paggalaw nya habang nakaupo meant he was trying to unbuckle the gun from the holster pero nahalata sya nung isang suspect which happens to easily figure that out since pulis din sya..

kung naunahan nya yung mga suspects e hero sya..promoted agad sya to PNP chief nyan.. pero di naging ganun.. so it was a risk he had to take and it was part of his job..

**j_avonni** · May 25th, 2007 08:23 PM

Condolence to the family and may he rest in peace.

**russpogi** · May 25th, 2007 08:34 PM

May he rest in peace.

**drunken_driver** · May 25th, 2007 09:12 PM

mdmi akong kilalang mga police officer n ganyan ang gnwang sideline aftr their duty.... mnsan nga ung iba b4 and aftr their duty p eh.....

just to compensate the needs of theirs family......
it is very risky for a police officer to do that kind of sideline but they have no choice because they have to that evendo their life is at stake rather than get an income in dirty ways......

i salute him and i hope n msolve n agad ung case at mparusahan n ung mga gumawa nun s kanila lalo n at mdmi pang kgya nyang mga pulis n kumakayod s tamang paraan para mdagdagan ang kanilang income.....