Cops in teen slay admit mistake, won’t go scot-free – PNP
MANILA, Philippines — After a series of operational lapses committed by its personnel, the latest involving six Navotas policemen who shot and killed a teenage boy in a case of mistaken identity on Aug. 2, the Philippine National Police assured the public that “those found to have abused their power would be punished promptly.”
“The PNP is sad and worried over these incidents involving our police officers. Nevertheless, the PNP leadership is continuously doing its best to correct the errors and inadequacies of our personnel on the ground,” PNP public information chief Col. Redrico Maranan told reporters on Wednesday. “We do not tolerate wrongdoings of our police officers, whether these are intentional or accidental.”
“Our disciplinary machinery is effective. Our records will [prove] that police officers who are found to have committed errors or abuses are penalized,” Maranan said.
He added that ground commanders may soon undergo seminars and refresher courses on standard operating procedures.
According to the PNP, the six Navotas policemen who shot dead 17-year-old Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar after they mistook him for a murder suspect have admitted their mistake but claimed that they did not intend to kill him.
Article continues after this advertisementMaranan said all six had been disarmed and would be placed under restrictive custody at the Northern Police District headquarters in Caloocan City. Withholding their names, he said the six had undergone inquest proceedings in the Navotas prosecutor’s office on charges of “reckless imprudence resulting to homicide”.
Article continues after this advertisementInspector General Alfegar Triambulo of the PNP Internal Affairs Service also ordered an investigation that may lead to administrative charges and the officers’ dismissal ahead of the criminal proceedings.
Quoting a report from Navotas police chief Col. Allan Umipig, Maranan said the six lawmen were on a follow-up operation after a shooting that killed a certain Cristelo Mahinay around 2:45 a.m. on Aug. 2 in Barangay NBBS Kaunlaran. A suspect had been arrested but another escaped and was reported to be hiding in a boat.
No chance to live
Upon arriving at the scene, the policemen saw Baltazar and a friend on a boat preparing to go fishing—and suddenly fired at them. The teenager’s friend, who survived unharmed, said they tried to surrender but the officers kept shooting, prompting Baltazar to jump into the river.
According to Baltazar’s mother and sister, the bullets hit the teenager in the face, giving him “no chance to live.”
In a radio interview, Umipig admitted that his men committed a “lapse in judgment.”
He said they should have given a verbal warning first to allow the victim and his friend to yield, instead of firing shots right away.
“We are checking if there was an imminent threat to the officers. But the way we look at it, the victim was not armed. We want to know why they fired. But one thing is for sure, we will not tolerate the lapses and the errors of our police officers,” Maranan told reporters.
Shooting should be the last resort in the case of stopping suspects who resist or won’t yield, he added.
Culture of impunity
For the human rights watchdog Karapatan, Baltazar’s death showed the continuing culture of impunity under the Marcos administration despite promises to bring back the rule of law in police operations.
“The killings are clearly not over,” the group said in a statement. “These killings continue because it remains part of the police’s orientations and mindset to kill, kill, kill.”’
Claiming that the killing was a case of mistaken identity “was a flimsy excuse when the police should have exercised due diligence in the identification of suspects they are after. They should in fact exercise due diligence in every police operation,” Karapatan said. “It is far worse to hear that they continued shooting when the victims were already in submission.”
