A member of the NBI fornensic team examines one of the bullet riddled SUV at the Municipal Police Station in Atimonan, Quezon where 13 people were killed in an alleged ‘shootout’ with police and military at a checkpoint last January 6.INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Army on Thursday said that soldiers tagged in the Atimonan, Quezon “rubout” will not be discharged from service outright.
It said that soldiers deserve fair and thorough investigation before making a decision on their dismissal.
“The Philippine Army will readily comply with the court that will handle the case against our soldiers. In the interest of transparency, we are willing to present them to court in the hope that our soldiers can justify the actions they did in Atimonan,” Army chief Lieutenant General Noel Coballes said in a statement.
“They are in the performance of duty, that alone would be enough justification not to outrightly discharge them from the service without thorough investigation. The filing of the case with the court is on the basis of probable cause not even sufficient evidence so we can hold in abeyance their separation from the service while awaiting the final result of the case before the civil court,” he added.
Army spokesman Colonel Randolph Cabangbang told reporters that the military will do its own investigation to check on the “administrative responsibility” of the soldiers.
The results of the investigation would then determine if the officers involved will face court martial, he added.
The soldiers are currently restricted to barracks at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.