Charges vs. cops in Jolo shooting incident up for filing, Gapay says

Armed Forces chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay on Thursday said charges against the nine policemen involved in the June 29 shooting incident in Jolo, Sulu that left four soldiers dead are "up for filing."

Among the charges the nine policemen would face are murder and planting of evdience, while some police officials in Jolo, Sulu will be slapped with charges for neglect of duty, Gapay said in a television interview.

"The NBI (National Bureau of Investigation) is already forwarding its report and recommendations to the DOJ (Department of Justice). I believe it's now up for filing of charges as recommended by the NBI and the charges are murder, planting of evidence, and of course neglect of duties on the part of some officers in Sulu," Gapay told CNN Philippines.

"We expect that charges will be filed and we're really banking on the swift dispensation of justice so that we can ferret out the truth on what really happened and the motive of course." 

During a Senate inquiry last week, Gapay expressed dismay that justice has yet to be served on the four soldiers slain in the incident, which he earlier branded as murder.

The AFP chief has firmly believed that the police report released on the incident was fabricated and full of inconsistencies. He claimed that there had been a cover-up on the incident.

At present, the policemen involved are under the restrictive custody of the Philippine National Police. Police General Archie Francisco Gamboa had said he is willing to surrender the police officers to the courts should warrants of arrest or court orders be issued.

The soldiers were tracking suicide bombers when the shooting incident happened. They were flagged down by cops in Barangay Walled City despite identifying themselves as members of the military. They were then instructed to go to the police station for further verification of their identities.

According to a police report, the shooting incident happened when the soldiers allegedly escaped and pointed their weapons at the police officers. —KBK, GMA News