PNP to cooperate with court proceedings

THE Philippine National Police (PNP) assured that the 17 police officers facing murder charges over the alleged killing of labor leader Manny Asuncion in March 2020 will be available for court appearances.

“The PNP will ensure the availability of these 17 PNP personnel to face the scheduled preliminary investigation in January 2022, even as we assure our full cooperation to all proceedings to satisfy the requirements of due process,” PNP spokesman Col. Roderick Alba said.

The 17 police officers are facing a murder complaint before the Dasmariñas City prosecutor’s office.

According to the copy of the subpoena dated November 22, investigating prosecutor Rogelio Radoc Jr. identified the police officers as Lt. Elbert Santos, Lt. Shay Jed Sapitula, SMS Hector Cardinales, MSg. Ariel de la Cruz, SSg. Joemark Sajul, Cpl. Ernie Ambuyoc, Cpl. Mark John Defiesta, Cpl. Arjay Garcia, Cpl. Caidar Dimacangun, Cpl. Bryan Sanchez, Cpl. Ericson Lucido, Pat. Jayson Maala, Pat. Juanito Plite, Pat. Jonathan Tatel, Pat. Prince Benjamin Torres, Pat. Jaime Turingan and Pat. Lopera Rey PJ Dacara.

According to reports, Santos, Sajul and Ambuyoc are part of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, while most of the other respondents belong to the Calabarzon police regional office.

Alba said the PNP respects the decision of the Department of Justice (DoJ) over the matter.

“The PNP respects the recommendation of the Department of Justice to file murder charges against 17 police personnel who figured in a lawful police operation that resulted to the death of a labor organization leader,” Alba said.

“Our respect for the DoJ action to prosecute the 17 PNP personnel extends as well to the individual rights of the police respondents to due process and equal protection of law,” he added.

The release of the subpoena confirms the filing of the murder complaint, which Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra disclosed to the media on Wednesday morning.

Guevarra earlier said the AO 35 task force will probe the deaths of the nine activists killed on March 7 this year during the so-called Bloody Sunday, which also saw several activists arrested during the simultaneous service of search warrants in different areas in the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal.

Human rights groups and activists have claimed the service of the search warrants were illegal.