The Department of Justice has created a panel of prosecutors tasked to conduct the preliminary investigation the criminal complaint filed against police officers implicated in the June 29 Jolo, Sulu shooting incident that resulted to the death of four Army intelligence officers.
National Prosecution Service Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said on Monday that they formed a panel composed of four prosecutors who would conduct the preliminary investigation into the four counts of murder and planting of evidence charges filed against nine policemen allegedly responsible for the death of the four Army soldiers.
The DOJ panel is headed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Gilmarie Fe Pacamarra and Assistant State Prosecutors (ASPs) Consuelo Corazon Pazziuagan and Alejandro Daguiso and Public Attorney Gino Angelo Yanga, as members.
Malcontento said the prosecutor panel will soon issue subpoenas to the nine respondents, all members of the Philippine National Police, to appear before the preliminary investigation hearing and to submit their counter-affidavits to the complaint filed against them.
The NBI earlier filed the criminal complaints against Police Senior Master Sergeant (PSMS) Abelzhimar Padjiri, Police Master Sergeant (PMSg) Hannie Baddiri, Police Staff Sergeants (PSSg) Iskandar Susulan and Erniskar Sappal, Police Corporal (PCpl) Sulki Andaki, and Patrolman (Pat) Moh Nur Pasani all of Jolo Municipal Police Station (MPS); and PSSg Almudzrin Hadjaruddin, Pat Alkajal Mandangan and Pat Rajiv Putalan of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU)-Sulu.
Aside from the NBI, the complainants include the relatives of the four deceased Army soldier-victims namely Major Marvin Indammog, Cpt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Jaime Velasco Jr., and Cpl. Abdal Asula, who were assigned at the 9 Intelligence and Security Unit of the Philippine Army.
The NBI also recommended that neglect of duty under the Doctrine of command responsibility be filed against the Sulu Police Provincial Director Police Colonel Michael Bayawan Jr., PDEU-Sulu chief Police Captain Ariel Corcino and Jolo Municpal Police Station chief Police Major Walter Annayo.
“After a thorough perusal of the records of this case, we are convinced that the evidence presented amply demonstrates that the victims were killed and that it was the nine police officers who killed them,” the complaint said.
The NBI said there were also witnesses who allegedly saw what happened.
“The nine police officers simultaneously attacked the victims who were not given the opportunity to defend themselves. While some of the police officers did not fire their issued firearms, close-circuit television (CCTV) footages and eyewitnesses’ accounts clearly demonstrates that the executed overt acts that constitute as moral assistance to the Police Officers who actually fired the victims,” the bureau added.
The police officers reportedly acted toward the realization of a common criminal intent. “The act was impulsively done on the spur of the moment. It sprang from the turn of events, thereby uniting the criminal design of the slayers immediately before the commission of the offense. The overt acts were voluntary and the operation is indispensable which proves occurrence of the criminal act to be executed.”
The NBI also said that based on the weapons surrendered and cartridge cases recovered from the crime scene, it showed that 21 cartridge cases were fired from the rifle issued to Pat. Mandangan; seven cartridge cases were fired from the rifle issued to PSMS Padjiri; two cartridge cases were fired from the rifle issued to Hadjaruddin; and four cartridge cases were fired from the pistol issued to Susulan.