By Florante S. Solmerin
Manila Standard Today
Manila Standard Today
Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Allan Purisima approved on Thursday administrative charges against Supt. Hansel Marantan and 21 policemen involved in the killing of 13 people in Quezon province early this month after investigators found violations in “operational” procedures.
Purisima said the policemen have been placed under restrictive custody after the PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) reported violations on jurisdiction, prescribed uniform, composition, and marked vehicles.
“I have approved the recommendation of PNP’s Internal Affairs Service on those charged PNP personnel who took part in the Atimonan case that they be in restrictive custody here in Camp Crame during the pendency of the case against them,” Purisima said.
The administrative case were based on violations of police operational procedures. Other charges will depend on results of investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the sole agency assigned to look into the case.
The NBI were looking into claims by the policemen that the killings happened as a result of a shootout in a checkpoint operation against an armed group who were suspected gun-for-hires.
Witnesses said the casualties, including soldiers and police officers, were summarily executed.
Purisima said the checkpoint was in Plaridel, Quezon but it was manned by Atimonan policemen, who were out of their jurisdiction, and they were not in prescribed uniform.
They did not comply with the required number of policemen in a checkpoint and there was no police car or marked vehicle, which was necessary in a police checkpoint, Purisima said.
He said the directorate for personnel records and management will create a body to hear the case, which was expected to be finished within 90 days.
“The Atimonan incident may have placed the entire police organization in bad light but we take it as an opportunity for us to aggressively push for the necessary reform programs to give the Filipino people the best service and protection they deserve from the PNP,” Purisima said.
Placed under restrictive custody were Sr. Supt. Valeriano de Leon, former police chief of Quezon province; Chief Supt. James Melad, former CALABARZON regional direction; and P/Supt. Hansel Marantan, the CALABARZON deputy for intelligence, who led the checkpoint operation.
Marantan, who has been confined at St. Lukes Hospital after undergoing treatment for gunshot wounds in the legs and arms, was transferred to the Camp Crame Hospital, officials said.
Also placed under restrictive custody were Supt. Ramon Balauag, Insp. Grant Gollod, Sr. Insp. John Paulo Carracedo, Insp. Timoteo Orig, Insp. Ferdinand Aguilar, Insp. Evaristo San Juan, SP03 Joselito de Guzman, SP01 Claro Cataquiz Jr., SP01 Arturo Comia Sarmiento, P03 Eduardo Oronan, P02 Nelson Indal, P02 Al Bhazar Jailani, P01 Wryan Sardea, P01 Rodel Talento, P03 Benedict Dimayuga, P01 Allen Ayobo, P01 Esperidion de Leon, P02 Ronnie Serdena and P02 Esperidion Corpuz.
Among those killed was Supt. Alfredo Consemino, Deputy Director for Operations in the area, two other policemen, and two soldiers. They were on board two Mitssubishi Montero Sports Utility Vehicles that was riddled with bullets as soon as they stopped at the checkpoint.
Three witnesses have come forward and said the victims were executed, but Rolando Vico, a witness for the military who were part of the checkpoint, claimed it was a shootout.
NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas said investigators were still evaluating the credibility of Vico so they could decide whether his testimony could overturn the claim of the three other witnesses.
“We cannot yet form a conclusion. We have to evaluate his testimony as against the statements of the other witnesses. We have to evaluate them to find out whether his statement is credible or not,” Rojas said.
Rojas said the NBI has not set a deadline on submission of its report to President Aquino because they continue to receive evidence such as bullets from the crime scene, clothes of the victims, and the vehicles involved.
“I do not want to give a deadline so that our report will be as complete as possible. Rest assured, we want to finish this as soon as possible,” he said.With Francisco Tuyay and Rey Requejo
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Ground commander in Quezon ‘shootout’ has other rubout cases pending
Source: Sun Star
Hansel Marantan
MANILA — Even before the gruesome shooting incident in Atimonan, Quezon, Superintendent Hansel Marantan, the ground commander of case operation plan (coplan) Armado, already has had his hands sullied in a number of high-profile police operations, which were notoriously perceived as overkill.
This was according to Jose Manuel Diokno, counsel for the relatives of the victims of the so-called “Ortigas rubout,” which occurred on November 7, 2005, and which left three suspected carjackers dead.
The incident would have easily been written off as a shootout with criminals, had it not been for the video taken by the television crew from UNTV showing the policemen’s excessive use of force.
Aside from the Ortigas rubout where he was a member of the Task Force Limbas, Marantan was also involved in the December 2008 Parañaque shootout with suspected members of the Waray Waray Ozamis robbery gang, killing in the process a civilian and his seven-year-old daughter.
At a press briefing, Diokno made parallelisms between the Atimonan incident and the other special police operations involving Marantan, and noted the similarities in terms of his group’s alleged breach of checkpoint protocol and disregard of the rules of engagement, and the supposed “execution-style murders” of the victims.
“Eight years have passed since our loved ones were murdered, but the policemen who killed them, led by Supt. Hansel Marantan – the same man involved in the Atimonan killings – still roam free and remain unpunished… Despite the overwhelming evidence, however, Marantan and company were never disciplined, suspended or jailed for their participation in the Ortigas rubout,” he said.
“This concerns us because it’s happening so often that a rubout is becoming so commonplace. The government is not paying attention to the practice of rubout, only the investigation of the incident,” he added.
To their consternation, Diokno said the policemen were even commended by their superiors and, like Marantan, were even promoted. He noted that Marantan was promoted superintendent by the National Police Commission even when the Commission on Human Rights had already held him liable for the Ortigas incident.
For this reason, the family of the Ortigas rubout victims – Anton Cu-Unjieng, Francis Xavier Manzano and Bryan Anthony Dulay – wrote an open letter to President Benigno Aquino III to transfer the review of disciplinary action and promotions of PNP members from the PNP/Napolcom to the Civil Service Commission as the constitutional body in charge of all civilian government personnel.
They likewise asked that all PNP members who discharge their firearms and injure or kill another person as a result, to immediately surrender all their firearms for forensic examination; their cellular phones and other electronic communication devices and sign a waiver allowing the examination of these devices; and for them to be restricted to quarters pending investigation.
All these, Diokno pointed out, Marantan did not do since he submitted his firearms only recently and he did not allow himself to be properly investigated by the NBI. (JCV/Sunnex)
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Appeal to P-Noy
Manila Standard Today
- Ernesto Manzano and Monique Cu-unjieng show a copy of their letter to President Aquino over the death of their relatives who were killed by a police team led by then Insp. Hansel Marantan eight years ago. Marantan also led a police team in Atimonan, Quezon, where 13 men were killed early this month. DANNY PATA
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