Warrants vs 9 Jolo slay cops served

The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday said it had already sought the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to track down the nine dismissed cops involved in the shooting death of four military intelligence personnel in Jolo, Sulu last year.

PNP chief PGen. Debold Sinas bared that they have already asked for assistance from the Philippine Army (PA) to serve the warrants of arrest for the suspects.

“Our dialogue is still ongoing and some of them are still hesitant to surrender but we already gave copies of the arrest warrant to the PA to help us in tracking them,” Sinas told reporters in a briefing in Camp Crame.

The top cop added that although he personally guaranteed their safety and security after earlier assuring them that they will be detained at the PNP Custodial Center, the suspects still refused to yield.

“But they still refused to surrender so our manhunt goes on,” Sinas said.

Aside from the military, copies of the arrest orders against the ex-policemen were also forwarded to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

Apart from the administrative cases filed by the PNP, criminal charges were also slapped against the ex-policemen by the Department of Justice. A Regional Trial Court in Sulu las month found probable cause to charge the nine dismissed police officers — Senior M/Sgt. Abdelzhimar Padjiri; M/Sgt. Hanie Baddiri; S/Sgt. Iskandar Susulan; S/ Sgt. Ernisar Sappal; Cpl. Sulki Andaki; Pat. Moh Nur Pasani; S/Sgt. Almudzrin Hadjaruddin; Pat. Alkajal Mandangan; and Pat. Rajiv Putalan for four counts of murder and planting of evidence.

But they still refused to surrender so our manhunt goes on.

The suspects were officially dropped from the PNP roster at the start of the year over their involvement in the 29 June 2020 shooting of the slain soldiers who were then chasing suspected suicide bombers affiliated with the Islamic State and Abu Sayyaf Group. The AFP branded the incident as a “rubout” and not a “mis-encounter” as earlier claimed by the police.

The four Army intel operatives — Maj. Marvin Indammog, Capt. Irwin Managuelod, Sgt. Jaime Velasco, and Cpl. Abdal Asula — were said to be in pursuit of reported terrorist bombers in the area when they were accosted, chased, and then gunned down by police officers from the Jolo Municipal Police Station, an incident the PNP initially tagged as a “mis-encounter.”

Said suicide bombers, identified as “Nanah” and “Inda Nay,” would later turn out to be as the culprits behind the deadly twin bombings last 24 August 2020, also in Jolo.