Following the string of killings involving activists in Calabarzon and Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino, Vice President Leni Robredo has called on the government to show it was not tolerating any wrongdoing by the police.
Robredo, a leader of the opposition, said the penalties imposed on erring personnel allegedly involved in the same past incidents seemingly were not a “deterrent.”
“Hindi siya nagiging deterrent na kapag mainit na, pahinga—parang diyan ka na muna tapos makikita natin susulpot na naman, may bagong assignment (It is not becoming a deterrent when the issue is hot, they will take a break for a while then we will see them appear again, they have a new assignment),” she said Sunday, March 14, over dzXL.
The vice president stressed that those penalized after they were investigated for abuse of power should not be able to go back to their duties.
“Nagdedemand tayo sa leadership na ipakita nila na hindi ito tolerated. Ipakita nila na kung may nagkasala, ito ay paparusahan (We demand from the leadership to show that this is not tolerated. They must show if someone breaks the law, this person gets punished),” she added.
Mayor Aquino was killed in what the Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas said was a “shootout” on March 7, but Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, his political ally, claimed it was an “ambush.” His death came just a day after nine activists were killed while six others were arrested in simultaneous operations conducted by the police in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon province).
During her weekly radio show, the vice president called for “fair and unbiased” probe into the killings, citing the varying accounts of the bloody incidents.
“Sana kung sino man iyong na-find out na nagkasala ay ma-penalize. Kasi ang nakataya rito iyong integrity noong mga institusyon (I hope that those found out to be a fault will be penalized. Because what is at stake here is the integrity of the institutions),” she said.
“Makakatulong para sa lahat na makita ng tao na iyong imbestigaayon maayos, iyong imbestigasyon fair at unbiased para magtiwala ulit ang tao (It will be helpful to everyone for the people to see the investigations are proper, fair, and unbiased so the people will trust them again),” Robredo added.