7 Manila cops sued for murder
The parents of two men killed in anti-drug operations filed complaints yesterday against seven police officers of the Manila Police District (MPD) with the Office of the Ombudsman.
Assisted by the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), Denisse David filed charges of murder and planting of evidence against Chief Inspector Leandro Gutierrez, Police Officers 3 Joel Pelayo and Ponciano Barnedo, PO2 Osmond Pring and PO1 Edgardo Lacson in connection with the killing of his son John Jezreel David on Jan. 20.
Normita Lopez filed similar charges against Senior Inspec- tor Jojo Salanguit, PO3 Gerry Geñalope and three others over the death of her son Djastin Lopez on May 18.
David alleged that Jezreel, 21, a roomboy at a motel in Pasay City, went missing on Jan. 19. He was on his way home from work, driving his motorcycle, but never made it. He had a friend as his passenger.
Jezreel later figured in an alleged drug bust along Del Pan street in Manila, with his friend and a third man.
“The three appeared to have been accosted at different places, and then killed in Del Pan. To further their allegations, the policemen filed frustrated homicide and drug charges against the three deceased, which were eventually dismissed,” the NUPL said in a statement.
David said some residents of Del Pan street told him several policemen wearing civilian clothes and masks conducted the operation.
Lopez, on the other hand, said her son Djastin, 23, was an epileptic. He was suffering from a seizure when a policeman slapped him and shot him repeatedly, according to several witnesses, she said.
Djastin was hanging out with his friends near the Hermosa-Pilar railroad tracks in Tondo when policemen swarmed into the area and accosted everyone in their way.
Djastin supposedly collided with one of the police officers, who slapped and shot him.
“My son was weak and sickly. He had epilepsy. Because of his condition, he could not fight the police officers,” Lopez said in her complaint, written in Filipino.
David and Lopez both denied having any involvement in illegal drug trade. They also denied that their sons used or sold illegal drugs.