The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) is awaiting order from the court to transfer former Patrolman Jeffrey Perez, of the Caloocan City Police Station, to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) after he was convicted of torture and planting of evidence for the deaths of teenagers Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman at the height of the previous Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

Police Brig. Gen. Jonnel Estomo, regional director of the NCRPO, said Perez is presently detained at the Caloocan City Jail.

“Despite the fact that this person was a former member of NCRPO, we would like the public to know that we deeply condemn his actions and such does not reflect in any way the culture, traits and organizational conduct of the National Capital Region Police Office,” Estomo said in a statement on Thursday night, Nov. 24.

“The accused is presently under the custody of Caloocan City Jail while waiting for the court order for transfer to the New Bilibid Prison,” he added. Perez is expected to serve reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years in the national penitentiary.

Estomo said Perez’ acts “strictly runs against the mandate of the Philippine National Police” to “uphold the law and protect the rights of every citizen without discrimination.”

“Verily, our message is clear, the NCRPO and PNP as a whole shall not condone any form of abuse and criminal behavior from our men,” Estomo noted.

According to the NCRPO, Perez was dismissed from the police service effective July 6, 2018 after being implicated in the twin deaths of 19-year-old Arnaiz, a former University of the Philippines (UP) student, and 14-year-old de Guzman in 2017.

His co-accused in the case, former Patrolman Ricky Arquilita, died while in prison in 2019.

In a decision released by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) last Wednesday, Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 122 Judge Rodrigo Pascua found Perez “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” for violation of the Anti-Torture Act of 2009 (Republic Act 9745) for the cases of Arnaiz and de Guzman, and for planting of evidence under the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2022 (RA 9165) and Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act (RA 10591) for the case of Arnaiz.

Arnaiz and de Guzman went missing and were last seen on Aug. 18, 2017 in their neighborhood in Cainta, Rizal.

The Caloocan City Police initially stated that Arnaiz was shot dead while allegedly trying to flee arresting cops in a case of a robbery-holdup of a taxi on the night of Aug. 17, 2017. Police said several sachets of marijuana, “shabu,” and revolver were found in his possession. His body was found 11 days later in a funeral parlor in Caloocan City.

Meanwhile, de Guzman’s body was found in a creek on Sept. 5, 2017 in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, his head and body wrapped with a packaging tape while bearing bruises and around 30 stab wounds.

But a witness identified as Arnold Perlada changed the entire narrative when he testified before the court that he saw a young man later identified as Arnaiz to be alighting from a police vehicle on the wee hours of Aug. 18, 2022 before he was shot thrice by another man, who turned out to be Perez, while kneeling.

Seven criminal charges were filed by the PAO against Perez and Arquilita but murder raps had been withdrawn by the prosecution in 2018.

Arnaiz and de Guzman’s cases were the first torture cases filed by the PAO in relation to the bloody drug war of the Duterte administration, which, according to government records, resulted in the deaths of more than 6,000 drug suspects while human rights watch groups estimate it at over 12,000.