Gov't to bring home mother of teen mistakenly killed by cops
MANILA, Philippines — The mother of the minor mistakenly killed by Navotas police last week will be brought home from Qatar, the Department of Migrant Workers said Thursday.
Rodaliza Baltazar sought repatriation assistance after learning her son Jemboy was killed by cops on August 2 in what the Philippine National Police described as a case of mistaken identity.
Baltazar is now with the DMW’s office in Doha and waiting for her flight to the Philippines.
According to DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia, Baltazar “had been hiding from Qatari authorities and working odd jobs after running away from her employer last year.”
The DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will provide P100,000 in financial assistance. The two agencies will also shoulder the costs of her repatriation as well as the funeral and burial expenses of her son.
Navotas cops were pursuing a suspect in a shooting incident whom they believed was hiding in a boat when the incident happened. Policemen mistook Baltazar as the subject of their manhunt after the 17-year-old jumped into the water from a boat.
Rights group Karapatan called the incident a “cold-blooded murder” and said cops should exercise due diligence in police operations. Rep. Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) also condemned the shooting and highlighted the “culture of impunity” that persists within the country’s law enforcement agencies. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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