The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to assign a panel of prosecutors to conduct the preliminary investigation on the complaint filed by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against members of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in a “misencounter” during an illegal drugs operation last Feb. 24 in Quezon City.
Twelve policemen and four PDEA have been charged criminally before the DOJ.
In a statement, the DOJ’s Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG) said the complaint filed by the NBI in the National Capital Region (NBI-NCR) has been “forwarded to the Chairperson of the Special Cases Division for assignment to a panel of prosecutors.”
“The NBI-NCR, in its complaint, summarized the version of facts by both the Philippine National Police and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency,” the OPG said.
“Among the pieces of evidence attached to the complaint are the sworn-statements of witnesses, the digital forensic laboratory report, the SOCO (Scene of the Crime Office) report, Ballistic examination results, Medico-legal reports, Firearms Investigation and Laboratory Division Report, among others,” it said.
Named in the complaint were PDEA-Special Enforcement Service (PDEA-SES) agents Khee Maricar Pornobi Rodas, Jelou Juanitez Santiniaman, Jeffrey Panhon Baguidudol, and Romeo Asuncion, and Quezon City Police District-District Special Operating Unit (QCPD-DSOU) members PCPL Alvin Borja, PLT Ronnie Ereno, PCPL Marlon Masiclat, PCPL Ronilo Prepose, PCPL Jason Coranez, PCPL Aries Curit, PCPL Marco Tapanan, PCPL James Dasalla, PMAJ Sandie D. Caparroso, PCPL Raul Christian Zacarias Gndeza, PLT Honey Besas, AND PCPL Christopher Alvarez.
The NBI recommended the prosecution of PDEA agents Rodas, Santiniaman, and Baguidudol for homicide for the death of QCPD member PCPL Eric Elvin Garado. Baguidudol was also accused of having falsified official documents.
PDEA agent Asuncion and policeman Borja were recommended criminally charged for the deaths of policeman Lauro De Guzman and PDEA agent Rankin B. Gano, respectively.
The NBI, however, only named as “John/Jane Doe” and has yet to identify who killed the informant identified only as “Untong.”
Attempted homicide was recommended for Santiniaman for wounding policeman Ereno. Attempted homicide was also recommended for the eight other policemen – Ereno, Borja, Masiclat, Propose, Coranez, Curit, Tapanan, and Dasalla -- for wounding PDEA agents Martin Matthew Soriano and Baguidudol.
Policemen Caparroso, Gandeza, and Besas were also accused of direct assault with physical injuries, direct assault with less serious physical injuries, and direct assault.
Caparroso was also charged with robbery and conniving or consenting to evasion. His co-respondents in the robbery charge were Gandeza and Besas.
Alvarez, Besas and Erena were named Caparroso’s co-respondents in the allegation of having committed conniving or consenting to evasion.
Immediately after the “misencounter,” Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra directed the NBI to conduct a parallel investigation since the Philippine National Police (PNP) and PDEA decided to conduct their own probe.
But the President Duterte intervened and directed the NBI to be the lone investigative agency.