Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief Gilbert Gapay on Wednesday urged the immediate filing of charges against the nine policemen tagged in the killing of four soldiers in Jolo on June 29.
Facing the Senate public order hearing led by Senator Ronald Dela Rosa, Gapay urged the immediate filing of murder, neglect-of-duty and planting-of-evidence charges against the policemen as recommended by the National Bureau of Investigation.
The NBI had earlier filed a murder complaint against the nine police officers for the death of Maj. Marvin Indammog, Capt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Jaime Velasco, and Cpl. Abdal Asula who were assigned to the Philippine Army’s Intelligence Regimen of the Ninth Intelligence Service Unit.
It appeared that the Army men had identified themselves to the policemen when they were accosted, but they were still shot when one of them alighted, unarmed, from the sports utility vehicle they were riding in.
The Philippine National Police gave a different version of what happened, saying the policemen stopped the SUV and instructed the soldiers to proceed to a nearby police station to verify their identities.
The PNP claimed that, as the police team and the Army officers neared the police station, the SUV sped off, and that triggered a car chase. Police said they only defended themselves when they fired back after the soldiers opened fire.
Gapay said they had been waiting for two months for justice, and should the cases be elevated to the courts, the “real motive” behind the killing of the military intelligence officers would surface.
“That’s why if we file this in court, we are also hoping that the real motive for the killing of the four Army personnel would come out. The truth should come out,” he said.
Gapay said various speculations had come out over the case, including the drug angle mentioned by PNP Chief Archie Gamboa.
He also described as “very unique” the Jolo shooting wherein the military officers were riddled with bullets.
He insisted there was an “intent to kill” the soldiers, and then to “cover up” as the initial spot report of the police on the incident was “fabricated, full of inconsistencies and misleading.”
Senate PRIB
“This was a deliberate act. There was an intent to kill. We cannot ascertain the motive, but definitely there was an intent to kill. You can see they were all shot in the back,” Gapay told the Senate panel.