The Sangguniang Panlalawigan has elevated its inquiry into a kidnapping incident near the Tagbilaran City bus terminal to the Committee of the Whole, a move that places every provincial board member on the investigating panel, First District Board Member Benjie Arcamo said Wednesday.
Arcamo, who triggered the investigation with a privilege speech during the SP’s regular session Tuesday, announced the referral in an interview on DYTR’s Open Forum radio program March 19, 2026.
He had originally sought to refer the matter to the SP’s Committee on Peace, Order and Safety and to the Provincial Peace and Order Council.
The decision to elevate it to the Committee of the Whole — chaired by Vice Gov. Nicanor Besas — reflects the seriousness of the issue and the public outcry it has generated, Arcamo said.
No hearing date has been set.
Arcamo said he is waiting on the SP leadership to schedule the first session and hopes it happens soon.
The kidnapping occurred in Barangay Dao and is one of several alleged abduction incidents in the area that remain unsolved, Arcamo said, without providing further details on the other cases.
Relieved police chief must appear, Arcamo says
Arcamo also weighed in on the relief of former Tagbilaran City police chief Lt. Col. John Kareen Escober, who was removed from his post in connection with the failure to resolve the kidnapping case.
The board member said he is not questioning the local chief executive’s decision to relieve Escober, but pressed for a clear public explanation of the grounds, noting that no official reason has been disclosed.
Reports have indicated only that the relief was intended to allow a fair and impartial investigation.
Arcamo said Escober must appear before the committee and answer questions, since the crime occurred during his watch.
He also raised the possibility that Escober’s relief may be linked to a deeper involvement in the case, though he stopped short of making a direct accusation.
“Relief doesn’t let Escober off the hook,” Arcamo said.
If the investigation finds that police officers were involved, Escober could face charges under the doctrine of command responsibility, he added.
At minimum, Arcamo said, Escober may be held liable for the absence of any police response to a crime that occurred in broad daylight.
No blotter entry complicates probe
Arcamo flagged a critical evidentiary gap: the kidnapping was never recorded in the police blotter, a lapse he said makes the case harder to unravel.
He called on all potential witnesses to come forward, including a tricycle operator who was reportedly in the area at the time of the incident.
Arcamo said he wants charges filed against suspects as soon as they are identified, and expressed preference for the victim’s family to be the ones to initiate the complaint.
He also appealed for transparency, saying the public deserves the full truth and urging anyone with information to share it with investigators.