9 Manila cops face murder charges

With no bail recommended, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed two counts of murder against nine Manila lawmen, including the president of the city’s police brotherhood association, for the June 8 killing of two Muslim overseas work applicants alleged to be terrorist bombers.

Immediate imprisonment now looms for Senior Officer 4 Wilson Tibor, SPO4 Remigio Estacio, SPO3 Edgardo Abaga, SPO4 Julian Siriban, SPO2 Eduardo Ramos, PO3 Randy Dimayuga, PO3 Ronald Hernandez, PO2 Philip Malindog and PO1 Ignacio Garlan following the filing of the charges with the Manila regional trial court last Wednesday. All nine policemen were members of the District Police Intelligence Unit (DPIU) when the killings occurred at the height of a bomb scare in Metro Manila.

Their alleged victims, Esmael Omar and Samin Akmad, both said to be overseas work applicants for Saudi Arabia, sustained several gunshot wounds. Omar in particular, sustained 14 gunshot wounds, some of them in the back.

At the time of the incident, the military was then conducting intensified operations against Muslim rebels in Mindanao and the mall explosions in Metro Manila were said to be a diversionary tactic. The killings sparked outrage in the Muslim community in Quiapo, Manila. – Jose Aravilla