26 Davao cops suspended over summary killings

DAVAO CITY , Philippines  – The Office of the Ombudsman has suspended for six months at least 26 ranking police officers for their alleged failure to solve killings blamed on the so-called Davao Death Squad in this southern metropolis.

A number of the police officers have been assigned elsewhere, while the others are still active with the city police or the Southern Mindanao regional police.

The Ombudsman’s preventive suspension of the 26 law enforcers was reportedly based on an affidavit-complaint filed in April 1 last year by the Davao City Deserves Good Government Movement, which blamed the Davao Death Squad for the summary killings of more than 800 people, mostly youth offenders involved in illegal drug cases.

The group alleged in its affidavit that ranking police officers and personnel were directly involved in the vigilante-style killings.

However, the suspension of the 26 police officers still has to be implemented by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the order signed by Deputy Ombudsman Orlando Casimiro was only received last April 16 even if it was actually issued last Jan. 11.

The Ombudsman imposed the preventive suspension without pay so the 26 police officers would not influence potential witnesses or tamper original records needed in the prosecution of the case.

The suspension would affect five precincts of the city police as well as the regional police which would lose seven of its intelligence officers for six months.

“We are exhausting all legal means that the suspension order will not be implemented. Besides, there was no due process taken before the suspension order was issued,” one of the suspended police officers said.

City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte expressed dismay over the suspension order, which he said was unfair since the 26 police officers were known to be among the most professional and hardworking in the region.

“I have high regards for these police officers and even the military officers assigned here. They are professional officers,” he said.

The regional police said it is still waiting for an order from Camp Crame to implement the suspension.

Two of those ordered suspended are now holding the rank of chief superintendent, Catalino Cuy and Jaime Morente, both former police chiefs of Davao City. Cuy is now with the PNP personnel management department, and Morente with the PNP’s Directorate for Operations.

Also placed under preventive suspension were Chief Inspectors Matthew Baccay, Filmore Escobal, Leandro Felonia, Marvin Manuel Pepino, Ranulfo Cabañog, Vicente Danao, Napoleon Eguia, Romeo Morandante, Alden Delvo, Joseph Sepulchre and Dionisio Abude; Superintendents Rommil Mitra and Harry Espela; Senior Inspectors Rebecca Climacosa, Arnulfo Mahinay, Leonardo Viduya, and Yolando Bello; and Inspectors Maximo Atuel and Rolly Tropico.

Also suspended were Senior Inspector Antonio Alberio Jr., Chief Inspector Juel Neil Salcedo, Superintendent Michael John Dubria, and Chief Inspectors Joselito Loriza and Joel Neil Rojo.

According to the Ombudsman, elements of the city police failed to conduct any intelligence gathering to identify the perpetrators of the killings, even though the suspended police officers, as local commanders, “could identify the areas where the killings took place.”

The Commission on Human Rights’ regional office admitted that the problem in pursuing the cases on the summary killings is the lack of witnesses.

“Is it our fault that no witnesses come out and help us in our investigation? That is why we have a hard time going after those believed to be behind the summary killings,” one of the suspended police officers said. –Edith Regalado (The Philippine Star)