Senator Panfilo Lacson said that if a policeman shoots a person suspected of being involved in the drug trade and kills him, it is considered as murder. He added that that the announcements made by President Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa were just ‘bravado.’
This statement came after dela Rosa echoed Duterte’s earlier “shoot-on-sight” order for Kerwin Espinosa, a suspected drug lord controlling the trade in Eastern Visayas who is considered to be “armed and dangerous.” Kerwin is also the son of Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. of Albuera, Leyte, who turned himself over to dela Rosa on Tuesday, August 2 after Duterte gave him and his son 24 hours to “surrender or die.
“There is no such thing. Kung anuman yung bravado involved dun sa statement, it’s just that,” Lacson told the media.
“Because being a law enforcement officer, alam naman ni Gen. dela Rosa na there is no such thing as shoot on sight or shoot to kill,” he said.
“If they do that, then that would clearly be murder. Because shoot on sight means just because you suspect someone or the President declared that someone is a drug lord and you will kill him… That’s a violation of the law,” Lacson was quoted by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.
Lacson said that the police can only kill a person in self defense or in protecting another person.
“Pagka yung nalagay sa alanganin yung buhay ng law enforcement officer o maski sinong citizen for that matter, pwedeng self-defense na pumatay ka ng tao kesa naman ikaw ang mapatay,” said the former PNP chief.
He said that the President himself knows that police officers cannot just shoot anyone.
“Alam niya na hindi niya pupuweding gawin yun at hindi pwedeng gawin ng kahit na sinong pulis na basta pumatay o shoot on sight, there is no such thing,” Lacson said.
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Shoot only in self-defense, says Nene Pimentel
According to a report on GMA’s “QRT” news program, former Senator Nene Pimentel and Duterte’s ally, said that the police cannot kill a suspect after receiving a shoot-on-sight order unless it was in self-defense as the latter fights back.
He also said that making up statements that the suspect fought back is in violation of the revised penal code.
Use of force should be last resort, says de Lima
Senator Leila de Lima, head of the Senate committee on justice and human rights, said, “The President very well knows what is allowed under the law… Of course, if there is resistance, if the suspect uses violence and force, then that’s justified. But per the PNP operational guidelines, that is the last resort – the use of force.”
De Lima also filed a Senate resolution to conduct an investigation into the drug-related killings and the possible excesses exerted in police operations, despite other Senators having “reservations” about the probe.
“I feel confident. There might be one or two members who have reservations, but I feel the majority will support me,” de Lima said.
Lacson is set to join de Lima in the investigation as it was also referred to his Senate committee on on public order and illegal drugs.
The Senate probe on drug-related killings may start in August, Lacson said.
Sources: (newsinfo.inquirer.net, gmanetwork.com, youtube.com)
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