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No warrant of arrest yet vs. cops who allegedly killed soldiers in Jolo — DOJ
By NICOLE-ANNE C. LAGRIMAS,GMA NewsProsecutors are still waiting for the Jolo Regional Trial Court to order the arrest of the policemen who allegedly killed four soldiers in the town last June.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) has released the nine officers, who were dismissed from the police service after the shooting, from its custody. The former cops face criminal charges for murder and planting of evidence.
The court has yet to issue an arrest warrant a week after the charges were filed on January 4, said Prosecution Attorney Honey Delgado, spokesperson of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Delgado said the province of Sulu is on lockdown, which may have affected court operations. Courts issue arrest warrants.
"If Sulu is still on lockdown, the courts might not be operating in its full capacity -- may or may not slow down the process," she said in a message to reporters.
Sulu is on lockdown from January 4 to 17
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Armed Forces chief General Gilbert Gapay earlier said he was “extremely disappointed” with the release of the nine dismissed policemen. Gapay used to be chief of the Philippine Army, the unit of the four soldiers killed.
Major Marvin Indamog, Captain Irwin Managuelod, Sergeant Eric Velasco, and Corporal Abdal Asula were conducting intelligence operations in Barangay Walled City last June 29 when they were flagged down by the policemen.
Though the servicemen had identified themselves as military personnel, police still told them to go to a nearby police station for further verification.
Upon arriving at the station, the soldiers allegedly tried to escape, prompting the policemen to chase them, according to a police report. The soldiers allegedly disembarked from their vehicle and pointed their weapons at their pursuers.
Police then fired shots at the soldiers, killing them.
The Army chief said the soldiers never fired. The National Bureau of Investigation later found that the soldiers were shot mostly in the back and had three to eight gunshot wounds.
The police officers were dismissed from the service on January 1. — RSJ/KG, GMA News