Sen. Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� Dela Rosa (Voltaire F. Domingo/Senate Social Media Unit)
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� Senator Ronald 鈥淏ato鈥� dela Rosa said on Friday that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), specifically the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), should conduct their training on the rules on engagement for military personnel.
Dela Rosa made the statement after a video of a CAFGU auxiliary member who shot two people, a father and his son, in Negros Occidental made rounds.
鈥淭anungin ko siguro 鈥榶ung Armed Forces, particularly 鈥榶ung Philippine Army unit handling the CAFGU kung pwede ba nilang isama sa training nila 鈥榶ung rules and procedure pagdating sa confronting 鈥榶ung mga amok, para ma-improve 鈥榶ung kanilang response sa gano鈥檔g klaseng sitwasyon. Hindi 鈥榶ung baril ng baril lang kaagad. At tsaka 鈥榶ung hindi dapat barilin, idadamay pa, binabaril pa. So dapat matuto sila,鈥� dela Rosa said.
(Let me ask the Armed Forces, particularly the Philippine Army unit handling the CAFGU if they can include in their training how to confront those who will be suddenly violent, to improve their response in those kinds of situations. They should not use their guns immediately, and those who are not supposed to be shot are caught. They must learn.)
According to the CAFGU auxiliary member, the victims threatened him with a bolo, or a large knife. However, Dela Rosa said that under Police Operational Procedure, the victims should have been given a warning shot, and that the shooting of the father who was no threat was unjustified.
鈥淎ng 鈥榙i niya ma-justify doon 鈥榶ung pagbaril niya doon sa tatay na lumapit lang 鈥榶ung tatay, wala namang threat, wala namang kutsilyo ang tatay, 鈥榙i ba? Bakit niya pa pinatay 鈥榶ung tatay, dinamay pa niya? 聽鈥榊un ang talagang unjustified,鈥�
(What cannot be justified is his shooting of the father, the father only went near, there was no threat, the father had no knife, right? Why did he have to shoot the father? That was indeed unjustified.)