THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has filed murder and arbitrary detention charges against seven dismissed policemen tagged in the execution of six men during a drug bust in San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan in February 2020.
The accused are Benjie Enconado, Irwin Joy Yuson, Marlon Martus, Edmund Catubay Jr., Harvy Albino, Herbert Hernandez and Rusco Madla.
Charges of six counts of arbitrary detention and six counts of murder were filed against them before the Malolos City Regional Trial Court on August 25, 2021.
On the other hand, the complaints against eight policemen were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
The prosecutors said the policemen “fabricated” the operations that led to the killing of Chamberlain S. Domingo, Chadwin D.R. Santos, Edmar S. Aspirin, Richard C. Salgado, Erwin N. Mergal and Jim Joshua Cordero.
These men were arrested allegedly during drug busts on February 14, 15 and 18, 2020.
“But the truth and in fact, no buy-bust operation was ever conducted against them,” the DOJ said in a statement.
The prosecutors said based on the evidence submitted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)- Death Investigation Division, the victims were “unlawfully and forcibly” taken on February 13, 2020 when “they happened to pass by the areas where a buy-bust operation took place” in Towerville, Barangay Sto. Cristo, San Jose Del Monte City, Bulacan.
The DOJ said photos and accounts of a person who was tasked to watch over the victims as they were detained, blindfolded and handcuffed inside a room in the police station supported the indictment of the seven police officers.
Dismissed
Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Guillermo Eleazar said the seven accused policemen were dismissed in June 2021 after they were found guilty of grave misconduct.
Eleazar said based on the investigation conducted by the PNP Internal Affairs Service, the victims were not booked for any offense but were detained for five days at the police station.
He said on February 18, 2020, the victims were brought by the policemen to a secluded area in Barangay Gaya-Gaya in San Jose del Monte City, where they were killed.
“The policemen, however, made it appear that they were drug personalities who died in a legitimate encounter by planting illegal drugs and firearms,” said Eleazar.
He said the eight other cops whose charges were dismissed by the DOJ prosecutors were also dismissed from police service over grave misconduct.
The then chief of police of San Jose del Monte City, Police Lieutenant Colonel Gil Domingo, was punished with six months suspension for command responsibility. (Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo / SunStar Philippines)