FILE PHOTO: Senator Risa Hontiveros is questioning the “lighter” guilty sentence given to police officers involved in the killing of Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar. Navotas Regional Trial Court Branch 286 found one of the six police officers involved in the killing of the 17-year-old guilty of homicide on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. The four other police officers were convicted for illegal discharge of firearms while the last one was acquitted. Senate PRIB
MANILA, Philippines — “How can this not be considered murder?”
Senator Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday questioned the lighter sentence given to police officers involved in the killing of Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar.
For her, the court decision was nothing but a gross disregard for what happened.
“’Yung mga ganitong kaso ng mistaken identity na nauuwi sa patayan ay nagpapakita talaga ng malalim na systemic failure sa Philippine National Police,” the legislator said in a statement.
(These cases of mistaken identity that end up in killings show a deep systemic failure in the Philippine National Police.)
READ: 1 of 6 Navotas cops guilty of homicide in Jemboy’s death – court
“Tandaan rin natin na 19 na pulis ang sangkot sa malawakang operasyong ito, armado ng matataas na kalibre ng baril at sadyang nagpaulan ng bala sa mga bata – paano ito hindi maituturing na murder?”
(Let’s also remember that 19 police officers were involved in this massive operation, armed with high-caliber guns and deliberately raining bullets on children – how can this not be considered murder?)
“Grabeng pambabalewala ito (This is gross disregard). The five out of six cops getting a slap on the wrist for Jemboy’s tragic death does not honor his memory. He was just a kid,” Hontiveros emphasized.
Earlier on Tuesday, Navotas Regional Trial Court Branch 286 found one of the six police officers involved in the killing of the 17-year-old guilty of homicide.
The four other police officers were convicted for illegal discharge of firearms while the last one was acquitted.
READ: Navotas teen murder: Police chief sacked, admin raps filed
Hontiveros vowed “we will not move on” from Baltazar’s killing, adding that it serves as a reminder that the country has a long battle ahead for a “more equitable justice system.”
“The law does not clothe police officers with authority to kill indiscriminately. Malinaw ang tuntunin ng PNP sa timpladong paggamit ng dahas- dapat nila itong sundin. Buhay natin ang nakataya,” she said.
(The law does not clothe police officers with the authority to kill indiscriminately. The PNP’s rule on the moderate use of force is clear – they must follow it. Our lives are at stake.)
Hontiveros likewise believed that there is a need for the Baltazar family to be given adequate protection to “ensure their safety against any threat or retaliation from those who want to sow fear or trouble.”
The killing of Baltazar happened on August 2, 2023, when Navotas policemen shot the teen dead as they mistook him for a murder suspect.