Cops in Jolo incident could be held liable if crime scene, evidence were mishandled —Banac

Police officers involved in the Jolo incident which killed four soldiers should have properly secured the crime scene instead of supposedly fleeing the area, Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Police Brigadier General Bernard Banac said on Wednesday. 

In a television interview, Banac admitted that the move in which cops supposedly escaped the crime scene is unusual because the police force has strict protocols in handling pieces of evidence. 

"Because in handling crime scene and evidence, there is a procedure. We are very strict on this. If this was not done, our cops there would maybe be held again liable for that," Banac told ANC. 

"When there's a crime scene, there's an incident, the procedure is to secure the crime scene and wait for reinforcement or SOCO to come in. Allegedly this thing did not happen so we want to know also and we can actually do that in the initial probe again," he added. 

Duterte saddened by incident

For his part, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte was "extremely sad" over the Jolo incident.

"Nalulungkot siya (Duterte) sa nangyari sa Sulu at inorderan niya ang NBI na pabilisin ang imbestigasyon," Roque said. "Lungkot na lungkot siya at ang ginamit niyang salita ay siya ay nanlambot, extremely sad."

Roque said Duterte had informed Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who has jurisdiction over the police force, that he wants to talk to the involved policemen.

PNP-IAS probe

Also on Wednesday, the PNP-Internal Affiars Service said it is also investigating the incident.

"We acted already kasi nasa mandate ng IAS to conduct motu proprio investigation sa mga incident katulad niyan," Inspector General AlfegarTriambulo said in a text message, deeming the incident as "not ordinary."

He said the regional IAS at the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) already has an initial report on the incident but he has yet to receive it.

"He said he will submit today pero wala pa ako na-receive na copy sa initial report," Triambulo said.

On Tuesday, Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay strongly criticized why the nine police officers involved in the incident on Monday left the bodies of the soldiers, insisting that they should have waited for Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO). 

"Mga four to five 'yung bumaril, the others served as lookout. After mapatay nila lahat, they fled. SOP ba 'yun? 'Di ba pag may namatay, you have to cordon the area and wait for SOCO? Wala, nagtakbuhan lahat eh. So this is another thing we have to find out in the investigation," Gapay had said. 

Gapay identified the cops involved as Police Staff Sergeant Almudzrin Hadjaruddin, Patrolman Alkalaj Mandangan, Patrolman Rajiv Putalan, Police Senior Master Sergeant Abdelzhimar Padjiri, Police Master Sergeant Hanie Baddiri, Police Staff Sergeant Iskandar Susulan, Police Staff Sergeant Ernisar Sappal, Police Corporal Sulki Andaki, and Patrolman Moh Nur Pasani. 

According to Gapay, the commanders of the Jolo Municipal Police Station and the Sulu Provincial Police Office should be relieved following the incident. 

In response, Banac said the PNP is still assessing if there is a need for the police commanders to be sacked from their respective posts. On the other hand, Banac reiterated that the nine cops involved are already under the custody of the Sulu Provincial Police Office. 

"Our leadership is studying the situation and if evidence warrants and there is sufficient grounds, this will be ordered," Banac ensured. 

Misencounter or murder?

An enraged Gapay also insisted that what happened was murder and not a misencounter as the troops, who were wearing civilian clothes, did not fire shots at the police. 

Banac, who earlier deemed the incident as a misencounter, explained that what he meant was that the cops supposedly did not know that the armed men were really members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

"Let me clarify the term 'misencounter.' What it meant was that the PNP didn't know that the four officers on board the SUV were our colleagues. In that sense, there was a misencounter because firing against our colleagues can be called misencounter in that sense," Banac said. 

Gapay also condemned the initial report released by the police on the incident, noting that it was full of lies and inconsistencies. He further claimed that it had supposedly attempted to whitewash the crime. 

The police spot report, being an official document, is now being subjected to probe by the National Bureau of Investigation, according to Banac. 

Banac said the PNP Internal Affairs Service is also monitoring the developments on the probe. 

"Our PNP Internal Affairs Service is keeping watch on this investigation. They're just monitoring developments and anytime, I know, they will launch their own administrative proceedings if evidence warrants," Banac said. 

The spot report indicated that police officers confronted the armed men, whom they spotted in Sitio Marina. These men had identified themselves as AFP personnel but cops directed them to proceed to Jolo Municipal Police Station for further verification of their identities.

Upon arriving at the said police station, the policemen claimed that the soldiers tried to escape. Cops then chased them, prompting soldiers to disembark from their vehicle and allegedly pointed their guns at the cops. 

Police then fired shots at the soldiers, resulting in their deaths. —KG/RSJ, GMA News