INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – With another police officer convicted in relation to the previous administration’s war on drugs, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said they expect more.
Remulla made the reaction after Police Chief Master Sergeant (previously SPO3) Ricky Sta. Isabel was convicted for the death of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo.
Sta. Isabel was part of the defunct Anti-Illegal Drugs Group (AIDG), disbanded by then-President Rodrigo Duterte out of embarrassment after Jee was strangled to death inside the national police headquarters.
He is the third police officer convicted in Duterte’s war on drugs.
Three police officers involved in Kian delos Santos’ death were convicted first. In March this year, another officer was also found guilty of killing 19-year-old Carl Angelo Arnaiz and 14-year-old Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman.
“We expect more of that (conviction of policemen) because many of the men in uniform did not do their jobs properly and probably even went to the other side. So, if they are caught doing their thing, the law will not choose who to convict. If it is the cops or the other violators of the law, so be it,” Remulla said.
Remulla repeatedly says that the government has a functioning judicial system and is willing and able to prosecute violations committed during the war on drugs.