The Manila Police District (MPD) has relieved five policemen who were involved in the killing of a robbery suspect and ordered the investigation into the alleged rubout in Sampaloc, Manila on Tuesday night.
MPD Director Chief Supt. Ronaldo Nana said the policemen ordered relieved were Senior Inspector Romel Salazar, P03 Ferdinand Valera, P01 Ronald Depasina, P01 Ruel Andrito, and P01 Jomar Landoy.
“Ngayon po ay ongoing po iyong investigation natin pertaining sa kanilang ginawa (The investigation on the incident is currently ongoing),” Nana said in an interview with Radyo Inquirer 990AM.
He said a special investigation task group has been formed to probe the alleged rubout.
On Tuesday night, robbery suspect Robin Villarosa was killed by four policemen from the MPD station 4 on Sosiego Street in Sampaloc, Manila.
A CCTV footage of the incident showed that four police blocked a tricycle driven by Villarosa with a back rider passing through the area. The back rider immediately jumped from the tricycle and ran.
Villarrosa stopped his tricycle and kneeled on the street raising both of his hands, signifying his willingness to surrender.
One of the police, however, shot him three times at a close range.
The footage also showed an unidentified man who rushed to the crime scene after the shooting incident and planted something near Villarosa’s dead body.
“Talaga pong sabi ko nga dapat hindi umabot doon sa pagbabarilan na iyon kung talagang inimplement lang nila ang ating police operational procedures (I told them that it should not have escalated to shooting if only they are implementing our police operational procedures),” Nana said.
Nana said the five policemen were expected to report to the district headquarters Thursday.
“Magpapadala na po ako ng tracker team sa mga limang pulis na ito sa kani-kanilang mga address. Pagka hindi sila nag-time in mayroon ng team na na-create para sa kanilang manhunt operation,” he said.
(I will send a tracker team that will pursue these five policemen in their addresses. If they do not report, a team will pursue them in a manhunt operation.)
The police official said that it was commander of the Sampaloc Police Station, Police Supt. Mannan Caracas Muarip, who signed the dubious spot report.
Muarip said his policemen only defended themselves during the incident but the CCTV footage showed a different scenario.
But Nana said the investigating team would look into pieces of evidence and witnesses accounts to be able to file charges against the suspects.
He said service firearms of the policemen in question have been turned over to the MPD Headquarters for ballistic examination.
He assured the public that the MPD would not toleratee its erring policemen and that charges would be filed beofre the court after the investigation. With reports from Eva Hamaybay, INQUIRER.net trainee/IDL