The Philippine National Police (PNP) is now negotiating for the surrender of the nine policemen who are accused for murder in the death in June last year of four military intelligence officers in Jolo, Sulu.
(Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela / MANILA BULLETIN)
PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas said there are three police units who are now talking with the nine Jolo policemen for them to properly surrender—the Police Regional Office Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, the Intelligence Group (IG) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).
“We are talking with them, I think there are already five or six who want to surrender and we are negotiating,” said Sinas.
The negotiation for surrender started when a local court issued an arrest warrant for a case of four counts of murder against the nine policemen.
The nine Jolo policemen were ordered dismissed early this month based on the recommendation of the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) which saw discrepancies behind the death of four military intelligence operatives led by Maj. Marvin Indammong.
The members of the military intelligence group were then tailing suspected suicide bombers when they were flagged down by the policemen. They later ended up dead near the Jolo police station with the policemen claiming that the soldiers attempted to shoot it out with them.
The nine cops were Senior Master Sgt. Abdelzhimar Padjiri, Master Sgt. Hanie Baddiri, Staff Sgt. Iskandar Susulan, Staff Sgt. Ernisar Sappal, Corporal Sulki Andaki , and Patrolman Moh. Nur Pasani, all members of the Jolo Municipal Police Station; and Staff Sgt. Almudzrin Hadjaruddin, Patralman Alkajal Mandangan, and Patrolman Rajiv Putalan of the Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU) of Sulu.
They cops were reportedly released late December after the dismissal order was signed by Sinas. Reportedly, they were turned over to their families and lawyers.
Sinas said that they are optimistic that some of them would be under PNP custody before the end of the week.
“I don’t want to mention names but the negotiations are ongoing to expedite their surrender,” said Sinas.