Three police chiefs relieved over extra-judicial killings

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon ordered the "administrative relief" of three police chiefs for recent killings in Laguna, Surigao del Norte and Sorsogon.

"I have ordered the administrative relief of three police chiefs," Calderon said at a press briefing for the National Forum on Internal Security and Counter-Terrorism at the Mimosa Leisure Estate in Pampanga. "The principle of command responsibility will be in effect. Station commanders will be suspended pending the investigation."

The PNP has been observing the one-strike policy for police commanders who have failed to stop jueteng operations in their areas.

Unlike the policy regarding failure to stop jueteng, however, police commanders will be relieved over extra-judicial killings of activists and journalists.

"I am now invoking the command responsibility principle in any incident (of human rights violations) that happen in their respective areas," Calderon said in an interview.

He said the police also have "a new announcement" amid three more extrajudicial killings.

Calderon said: "It will be the head of the police (personnel) that will be at stake. If we are not satisfied with the progress of investigation and police actions, we will go up the level of the provincial director." In Central Luzon, most of the extra-judicial killings are blamed on the military.

Calderon said Task Force Usig "will be in charge of the investigations" but added that "we will be asking statements or support from the Armed Forces (of the Philippines)."

"If we find out that their (the AFP’s) support is wanting, that is the time we may make the necessary report to the (AFP) chief of staff," he said.

Calderon said police authorities will look into the accomplishments of city and municipal police chiefs in investigating these alleged political killings. If these police chiefs’ actions are found to be "unacceptable," they will have to explain themselves, he added.

"Definitely, (these local police chiefs) will undergo due process," Calderon said.

However, he added that "it will probably be automatic that the officer will be relieved in the meantime, pending completion of the investigation." If the officer is found not guilty of reneging on his job, he will be reinstated, he added.

"Task Force Usig is performing well. (Its members) have been doing the rounds with the different sectors of society," Calderon said, adding that the task force is now "seeking audience with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to equalize figures (on political killings) presented by the human rights group Karapatan."

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said the relief of the police commanders will prove that the government is taking action on these killings.

"This will emphasize that there is no complicity here. We are punishing our people kahit na wala silang kasalanan (even if they are not at fault)," Puno said. "This does not mean they are involved, but (they are sanctioned) because they failed to stop the killings."

Calderon has also asked Task Force Usig chief Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. to look into these killings and identify the assassins.

He was also quick to clarify that the three killings — those of San Pedro, Laguna Alaska Milk factory union president Andrew Iñoza, 48; United Workers of Surigao del Norte organizer Roderick Aspili, 24, and; Domingo Marbella, 22, of Barangay Lungib, Pilar, Sorsogon — were not related.

"I would say that not all these (killings) are related," Calderon told reporters. — With Ric Sapnu