Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla on Friday, July 8, assured that the Department of Justice (DOJ) remains committed in pursuing justice after prosecutors secured the conviction of five policemen for kidnapping.
“The Department is steadfast in its commitment to uphold the Rule of Law,” said lawyer Jose Dominic Clavano of the DOJ’s Office of the Secretary.
“SOJ (Secretary of Justice) is making sure the Department is equipped with all the necessary tools and programs to make sure justice is served,” Clavano said.
The statement was issued after DOJ prosecutors secured the conviction of PInsp. Ronaldo M. Frades, PO3 Rigor R. Octavio, PO2 Sajid Anwar E. Nasser, PO1 Anthony P. Fernandez, and PO1 John Mark DG Cruz, all members of the Station Drug Enforcement Unit (SDEU) of the Pasay City Police Station.
In a 51-page decision dated June 20, 2022, Presiding Judge Andres Bartolome Soriano of Makati City regional trial court (RTC) Branch 148 found the five policemen guilty of kidnapping Jorge Gomez Revilla on March 5, 2019 in violation of Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).
Judge Soriano sentenced them to reclusion perpetua, a jail term ranging from 20 to 40 years.
Those convicted were also ordered to pay, jointly and severally, P100,000 to restitute to the Philippine National Police’s Counter-Intelligence Task Force (PNP-CITF) and P50,000 as indemnity for Revilla.