Status of cop in drug killings bothers lawyer

The lawyer of Efren Morillo, the lone survivor in an alleged antidrug operation in Payatas, Quezon City last year which left four men dead, has expressed concern over the fact that one of the accused policemen remains on active duty despite facing multiple murder cases.

Gil Anthony Aquino, a lawyer with the Center for International Law, said he was surprised to see PO3 Allan Formilleza, who was in full uniform, in court last Tuesday.

Formilleza took the stand as the prosecution’s first witness in the direct assault case filed by the police against Morillo whom they accused of engaging them in a shoot-out during a “Tokhang” operation in August 2016.

“I was really surprised because we know from the news and from our own research that he has a second murder charge against him,” Aquino told the Inquirer.

“For me, that is troubling because that’s the very definition of impunity,” he said. “This man has multiple murder charges against him and he is still able to walk scot-free as if nothing happened.”

One of four suspects

Formilleza is one of the four respondents in a criminal complaint filed by Morillo in the Office of the Ombudsman in March.

The other accused who are also facing charges of murder, frustrated murder, robbery and planting of drugs and firearms are Senior Insp. Emil Garcia and Police Officers 1 James Aggarao and Melchor Navisaga, all previously assigned at the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

The complaint arose from an alleged antidrug operation conducted by the QCPD at Group 9, Area B in Payatas on Aug. 21, 2016 in which the accused shot Morillo and his four companions in what appeared to be a summary execution. Only Morillo survived.

According to records obtained by the Inquirer, Formilleza has two other pending murder charges in the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.

The Court of Appeals in February issued a permanent protection order for Morillo and the relatives of the other victims as it ordered the reassignment of the four policemen outside of Quezon City and Rodriguez, Rizal.

They were transferred to the National Capital Region Police Office before they were again reassigned to the Eastern Police District.

Accused’s defense

On the witness stand, Formilleza insisted that a shoot-out took place between his group and Morillo and his companions: Marcelo Daa, Raffy Gabo, Anthony Comendo and Jessie Cule.

He claimed that the dead men and Morillo were notorious druggies and criminals in the Payatas area.

But Aquino called this mind-set “very troubling,” saying: “The police are always painting the narrative that … having a criminal record or being a drug personality does not give you rights.”

“If what they are saying is that they are criminals and they deserve to be killed, then that just shows you the kind of mind-set that these policemen are operating on … That is the very definition of extrajudicial killings,” he added.