MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker is pushing the House of Representatives’ public order and safety panel to investigate the killing of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino in an alleged shootout with the police.
“It is not acceptable for killings to occur in a civilized society. It is even more impermissible when the members of our uniformed service are being accused of involvement in these heinous acts,” Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said in House Resolution No. 1633 filed Tuesday, where he described the fatal shooting of Aquino as a “senseless murder.”
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Sarmiento wants the investigation to uncover the circumstances behind the incident, the procedure undertaken during a legitimate police operation, if there are measures to be filed to curb illegal practices, and for charges to be recommended against Aquino’s killers.
Citing various witnesses, Sarmiento said that police opened fire on the vehicle of Aquino and his companions, which forced them to retaliate.
Sarmiento cast doubt on whether it was a legitimate police operation, as the police were supposedly not in their official uniform when the shooting happened.
He also raised previous instances when leaders of the first district of Samar were “falsely accused” of involvement in the illegal drug trade without evidence.
The lawmaker also said that other political leaders of his district have been killed by gunmen, including two barangay chairmen who were fatally shot by unidentified assailants.
“Despite this, we have yet to hear arrests being made and perpetrators being brought to justice,” Sarmiento said.
The Philippine National Police, citing initial police reports, said that a shootout happened between Aquino’s group and members of the PNP’s Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit.
The PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation will both probe the incident that killed Aquino, his driver and his close-in security, and two policemen.
Aquino’s killing came just two days after the so-called “Bloody Sunday” raids, where nine activists and labor organizers were shot and killed by police and military forces who were supposedly serving search warrants for illegal explosives.
The raids came just a day after President Rodrigo Duterte told police and military to disregard human rights and kill enemies of the state “right away” if they are holding a gun.