No government prosecutor was involved in securing the conviction of four policemen who were found guilty of homicide for the 2016 killing of a father and his son during an alleged illegal drugs operation in Caloocan City, the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers in the National Capital Region (NUPL-NCR) said.
“No, the public prosecutor did not actively participate in the prosecution of the case. He even testified for the accused,” said NUPL-NCR Secretary-General Atty. Kristina Conti.
NUPL-CHR's issued the statement after Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Jesus Crispin C. Remulla lauded the conviction of the four policemen as “a testament to the government’s unwavering efforts.”
Last June 18, Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Judge Ma. Rowena Violago Alejandria issued a decision that found guilty of homicide P/Msgt. Virgilio Q. Cervantes, P/Cpl. Arnel De Guzman, P/Cpl. Johnston M. Alacre and P/Cpl. Artemio Saguros Jr. for the killing of Luis Saldana Bonifacio and his 19-year-old son Gabriel on Sept. 15, 2016 during an alleged illegal drug operation.
Obviously rebuking Remulla's statement, Conti said: "You cannot make me say that the justice system is working.”
“NUPL-NCR asked for and was granted authority as private prosecutors, trying this case on our own. We built this case from Day 1 without any material assistance from the DOJ, police, or government agencies (aside from the Commission on Human Rights),” Conti recounted.
“Cases like this don't get to court if you don't have private investigation, forensics (as done by Dr. Raquel Fortun), and strong will,” she pointed out.
She also noted that the NUPL-NCR even raised the case before the Supreme Court (SC) to upgrade the charges from homicide to murder and implead all the policemen involved in the operation.
However, Conti lamented that NUPL-NCR lost before the SC.