City’s top cop charged for dishonesty

Navotas teen’s slay:

MANILA, Philippines — The Internal Affairs Service (IAS) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) yesterday ordered the filing of charges against Navotas police chief Col. Allan Umipig and 11 other police officers in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Jerhode Baltazar on Aug. 2.

IAS inspector Alfegar Triambulo has also recommended to National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) director Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. to relieve Umipig of his duties as commander of the Navotas police.

Triambulo issued the directive after they found out during their investigation that Umipig had instructed the team leader of the operatives to exclude from their reports the names of 11 police officers who were involved in the shooting that killed Baltazar. The Navotas police earlier filed charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against six policemen.

Due to their findings, Triambulo said he has directed the filing of charges of dishonesty and command responsibility against Umipig.

“The IAS will also file charges against the 11 police officers whose identities were initially concealed,” the IAS said in a statement.

Triambulo said the 11 will be charged for abandoning the victim as well as other complaints for violations of police operational procedures.

On the six police officers currently facing criminal cases, Triambulo said the administrative complaint for grave misconduct is already at the summary dismissal stage.

Meanwhile, the results of a ballistics examination showed that the six police officers implicated in Baltazar’s killing all used their firearms during the incident on Aug. 2.

PNP public information officer Brig. Gen. Redrico Maranan said on Monday night that the next step is to determine whose gun fired the fatal shot.

“The ballistics exam was finished. That’s how it was determined that all of them fired,” he told dzBB.

The NCRPO on Monday identified the policemen as Executive M/Sgt. Roberto Balais; Staff Sergeants Antonio Bugayong, Gerry Maliban and Nikko Pines Esquillon; Cpl. Edmark Jake Blanco and Pat. Benedict Mangada.

Maranan said all the policemen also admitted they fired their guns during the incident.

The policemen, who are facing complaints of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, are also facing administrative charges for various lapses. One of them was found to be wearing a body camera but it was not able to record the incident after it allegedly ran out of batteries.

Police units with body cameras are required to use the recording devices in law enforcement operations to ensure transparency.

With the investigation still ongoing, Maranan said more police officers are expected to be relieved from their posts.

Maranan said they are leaving to the prosecutor the decision on whether to elevate the charges from homicide to murder.

Fortun: Boy could have survived

Forensic pathologist Raquel Fortun said the teenager could still have survived had he not fallen into the water when police officers shot him, ABS-CBN reported.

Baltazar died from “craniocerebral injuries due to proliferating gunshot to the head, with asphyxia from drowning as a contributory cause,” according to Fortun, who conducted a re-autopsy of the body on Aug. 5.

“He did not die immediately from the gunshot wound,” she said, taking note that aside from gunshot wounds, the boy bore wounds in the back of his hand near the thumb and in his palm.

One of the bullets hit Baltazar’s head while another went through his throat, according to earlier reports.

Baltazar’s father alleged that the police officers who shot his son prevented him from approaching the victim, whose body was retrieved three hours after the incident.

The boy’s mother, Rodaliza, said her son would have been alive had the police officers introduced themselves before conducting the operation.

Police visit

Militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, for its part, expressed serious concern over a visit by Navotas policemen to Fortun’s home, which it said is a form of intimidation.

“The police cannot ask Fortun to disclose the autopsy findings because these can only be given to the victim’s family,” Bayan secretary-general Renato Reyes said in a statement.

Reyes said the policemen should be aware of the basic procedure wherein only the victim’s family can authorize the public disclosure of Fortun’s autopsy findings.