Denisse David and Normita Lopez file their complaints against the Manila Police District officers accused of killing in their sons in purported anti-drug operations. Photos: Vince F. Nonato.
The parents of two young men killed in the government鈥檚 antidrug campaign have filed criminal complaints at the Office of the Ombudsman against seven Manila Police District officers.
A complaint for murder and planting of evidence was filed聽on Thursday聽against聽Police Chief Insp. Leandro Gutierrez, Police Officer 3 Joel Pelayo, PO3 Ponciano Barnedo, PO2 Osmond Pring, and PO1 Edgardo Lacson in connection with the聽Jan. 20聽killing of 21-year old John Jezreel David.
A similar complaint was also filed against Police Senior Insp. Jojo Salanguit, PO3 Gerry Ge帽alope, and three John Does over the聽May 18聽killing of 23-year old epileptic Djastin Lopez.
Both complaints were filed with the assistance of the National Union of People鈥檚 Lawyers鈥揘ational Capital Region. Human rights group Rise Up also held a mass outside the Ombudsman after the filing of the complaints.
Human rights group Rise Up hold a mass outside the Office of the Ombudsman on Thursday, after the parents of two victims of the government鈥檚 antidrug campaign filed murder complaints against seven Manila Police District officers. Photo: Vince F. Nonato.
The parents of both victims denied they ever used drugs or owned firearms.
In his complaint-affidavit, David鈥檚 father Denisse narrated that he last saw the 21-year old motel roomboy when he left for work on the evening of聽Jan. 18. David failed to come home, and the father was informed by his supervisor that that he went with a fellow roomboy Kim Ocenar on the morning of聽Jan. 19.
On the morning of聽Jan. 21, Denisse heard that two policemen had approached their barangay tanod looking for the families of two roomboys detained at MPD Station 11.
But, his visit to the jail yielded nothing until a detainee supposedly shouted: 鈥淜uya, may tatlong natokhang, dinala sa聽Delpan.聽Tingnan mo baka isa ang anak n鈥檡o.鈥� At the time, the police鈥檚 antidrug operations was called Oplan Tokhang.
Policemen at the homicide section of Station 11 later advised Denisse to go to Cruz Funeral Parlor to check the bodies of three men killed in Delpan. Denisse was even asked if his son used shabu (crystal meth), which he denied.
Denisse did find his son鈥檚 body at the funeral parlor, but he said he was not allowed to claim it until it was autopsied and he was allegedly made to pay P12,000. Meanwhile, John Jezreel鈥檚 valuables and his Yamaha Mio I motorcycle were nowhere to be found.
The father was furnished a spot report about an alleged buy-bust operation on聽Jan. 20, 11 p.m., at Delpan corner Lara Streets in Binondo, Manila. The three allegedly 鈥渇ought back鈥� and the police supposedly seized three guns, five plastic sachets of shabu, and P500 in marked money.
Denisse said he asked the residents living near Delpan and was told several policemen, some in plain clothes and masks, came to conduct an operation. Some purportedly saw a motorcycle carrying two men with the back rider in handcuffs. Shots were later heard.
He and the wife of David and Ocenar鈥檚 fellow casualty, George Yap, have already filed a case with the Commission on Human Rights in July, but it has yet to be resolved.
In her separate complaint-affidavit, Normita Lopez said her slain son had epilepsy and was even known as 鈥淭irek鈥� because of his condition. At聽5 p.m.聽on聽May 18, Djastin said he would just go for a while to the Hermosa-Pilar railtracks.
Only an hour later, Normita was told to contact her son because of police presence in the railtracks. Her brother-in-law later informed him Djastin was killed, but the policemen did not allow her to approach the body and only told her to go to the barangay chairman. She only saw her son鈥檚 body at Archangel Funeral Homes the next day.
She said 鈥渕any鈥� have seen Djastin just talking with his friend, when plainclothes policemen approached them with guns. The friend was able to run and hide, but sickly Djastin could not go far.
Normita said one witness even told her that a policemen held Djastin up. He supposedly raised his hands and yelled 鈥淗uwag po, huwag po, suko na po ako.鈥� But, the policemen supposedly shoved him and suddenly shot him, triggering a seizure.
She said witnesses even saw the policeman who shot Djastin slap him and shoot him several more times when he kept moving.
A聽May 18聽spot report stated that Djastin was killed because he was a suspect in the murder of a certain Michael Turla. A聽May 14聽spot report on Turla鈥檚 death, meanwhile, did not name Djastin as a suspect. Later, a聽June 9聽progress report claimed Djastin was killed in a buy-bust operation.
鈥淧aiba-iba ang sinasabi ng mga pulis,鈥� the complaint-affidavit stated. 鈥淢ahina ang katawan at sakitin ang anak ko. Siya ay may sakit na聽epilepsy.聽Dahil sa kanyang kalagayan, hindi kakayanin ng anak ko na lumaban sa mga pulis.鈥� /je