PNP chief defends cops over execution video

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa yesterday defended the Manila policemen implicated in what he described as an “edited” video of a supposed execution of suspected drug dealers last month.

Dela Rosa believed the video footage included in the article of wire service Reuters was meant to discredit the PNP after President Duterte announced he is planning to bring the police back in his anti-drug campaign.

“The timing and editing. All is designed to really damage us,” Dela Rosa told reporters. “Isn’t it obvious? I did not only finish Grade 1.”

Manila Police District (MPD) director Chief Supt. Joel Napoleon Coronel also said the video is “not conclusive.”

“The (Reuters) story is not complete because it did not show that the suspects were summarily killed,” Coronel said.

Dela Rosa earlier questioned the timing and motive of Reuters for releasing the article on the eve of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on petitions questioning the legality of the government’s anti-drug campaign.

The video footage from security cameras in a slum area in Barangay 19 in Tondo showed the activities of at least 15 policemen in an operation against three suspected drug dealers on Oct. 11.

The Reuters report said the video showed a different story from a police report, which claimed the lawmen retaliated after the drug suspects opened fire at the lawmen during a drug sting operation.

The footage shows one of the suspects chatting with people in the neighborhood minutes before the police arrive, inconsistent with the police version they were selling drugs to an undercover police officer.

Coronel said the video did not show the actual killing of the suspects, pointing out the security camera was placed 50 meters from the site.

As with a police officer caught turning the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera that captured the killing of Campo, Coronel said the police officer was checking if the barangay or a private establishment owned the camera.

“We found out the camera was owned by a private establishment,” Coronel said.

He also said it took a while before the bodies of killed suspects were taken out of the crime scene as clearing operations were still underway.

“It happened that there were still two target suspects in the area, that is why police cannot leave the area yet,” he explained.

“We know that the area is dangerous because a lot of crime is happening there.”

Dela Rosa said a possible administrative relief of the policemen involved would depend on the result of the investigation of the PNP Internal Affairs Service.

Dela Rosa, who has already seen the video, sees nothing wrong with the police operation.

He lashed out at insinuations the policemen cleared the area of bystanders to ensure that there are no witnesses.

In the video, one of the lawmen was seen grabbing a child who was running along the alley.

“If that child got hit, the blame will be on the police. Now that the police are trying to avoid collateral damage, the police are still at fault,” Dela Rosa said.

Dela Rosa added there is no proof the policemen killed the suspects in cold blood.

“Have they seen what precipitated before that man went down?” he said, referring to Rolando Campo, one of the suspects who was seen in the video falling to the ground after a policeman supposedly shot him.

There is also no malice when a policeman was seen in the video moving a CCTV camera in another direction as it happened after the shooting, noting it is useless to destroy the cameras as the incident was already recorded.

Dela Rosa also frowned on the removing of mobile application games inspired by the government’s war against drugs.

He said they have no problem if Apple took down apps related to the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. However, he admitted feeling they are being singled out.

“Isn’t it obvious? I think it’s obvious,” Dela said.