SUPT. Angelo Germinal, the Makati police official who shot dead a 13-year-old scavenger in cold blood in 2011, is back in the service after he was dismissed for the crime.
Germinal is now deputy chief for operations of the Makati police, obviously a promotion. When he committed the crime, he headed a small community precinct.
On May 9, 2011, Christian Serrano was scavenging for metal scrap inside an abandoned building in Makati City when Germinal and another policeman in a patrol car chanced upon the boy.
The police officer got a .22-cal. rifle (apparently his personal gun because it’s not the kind issued to policemen) from the back compartment of the patrol car.
He loaded a round into the chamber of the bolt-action rifle, aimed the gun at Serrano and fired, killing the boy instantly.
It was like Germinal was shooting a stray dog.
For his dastardly act, Germinal was dismissed by the National Police Commission (Napolcom).
My public service program, “Isumbong mo kay Tulfo,” helped the victim’s family by prodding the Napolcom to speed up the administrative case.
The victim’s family, residents in a community of informal settlers, had complained to us at “Isumbong” about the delay in the hearing at the police body.
Germinal was able to get back in the service while we were not looking.
The Napolcom explained that pending the final resolution of his administrative case, Germinal was reinstated.
That is an outrageous reason for reinstating Germinal!
If his dismissal is on appeal then he should stay out of the service until (emphasis on until) he is eventually found not guilty.
But what is more outrageous is that he has been promoted in rank and position!
Germinal held the rank of chief inspector when he committed the crime.
I’ve heard of dismissed cops reinstated by the graft-ridden Napolcom after they allegedly paid off some people in the agency, but Germinal’s case takes the cake.
Germinal probably carries a charm or is awash in cash to have such luck.
While his criminal case is pending in a Makati trial court, Germinal was allowed to post bail even if the charge against him was murder, a non-bailable offense.
A judge—not the one trying the case—heard Germinal’s petition for bail and believed the testimony of a medical doctor, who is not an expert in forensics, that the bullet that entered the boy’s body did not come from a .22-cal. rifle but from a .38-cal. revolver.
This, despite the direct testimony of a witness who saw Germinal shoot the boy with a .22-cal. rifle.
Germinal being allowed to post bail has weakened the murder case against him.
* * *
Salvacion Serrano, Christian’s mother, came to us at “Isumbong” accompanied by a cousin.
She expressed apprehension that there might be a whitewash, claiming that then Makati Mayor Junjun Binay was trying to mediate in the case.
Salvacion said she didn’t want mediation, but justice for her son.
She said Christian was a high school student on summer vacation when he and his friends thought of picking metal scrap to be sold to a junk shop.
“He was too young to die, sir,” Salvacion told me.
I suspect that since the victim’s family would not agree on a compromise with Germinal, somebody influential intervened.
Some Makati judges, many say, are not known for being fair and just.