President Rodrigo Duterte expressed his support for the cops behind the raid that led to the death of Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. and 15 other people in the early morning of July 30.
“The police and the military should make sure that their enemies are dead. Otherwise, if the other guy can still pull the trigger, you will end up with a dead police or a dead military soldier,” the President told the media in an ambush interview after gracing the 113th anniversary of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in Quezon City on August 2.
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“They were running the city as if it was a feudal state of the family. Kaya sinabi ko, ‘Huwag ninyong gawain ‘yan.’ Eh ‘pag hindi ninyo sinunod — sasabihin, ‘Bakit namatay?’” he added.
Duterte urged anyone to ask the ordinary Ozamiznons about the Parojinogs.
He added that he would “answer” for the bloody raid because he ordered it.
“And so my order to the military and the police and rightly so: to destroy the organization, both the supplier, the users and everybody connected with the organization because they keep alive the trade,” Duterte said.
The President recalled how he summoned the local mayors in the Palace to discuss his war on drugs and warn them not to get involved in the trade.
“Well, I will make it public. One time, I called for all of them. Sa kanila… Hindi ko kayo niyaya. I barred the media. Three batches. Sinabi ko talaga sa kanila, “Do not do it. Do not do it because my order is to destroy the organizations,’” Duterte said.
Duterte did curse and threaten the mayors and other narcopoliticians who were involved in the illegal drug trade during a meeting in January at the Palace.
The late Mayor Parojinog was one of the local government officials named in Duterte’s narcopolitician list. His daughter, Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog, was reportedly in a relationship with high-profile Bilibid inmate Herbert Colanggo.
The mayor denied any involvement in the drug trade.
Not the first time
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This is not the first time Duterte threw his support behind cops involved in bloody operations. In April, he said that he may pardon, reinstate and even promote the cops then facing murder charges over the death of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. in November 2016.
Former Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region 8 director Superintendent Marvin Marcos and 18 other cops were accused of conspiring to eliminate Espinosa.
“Maconvict? Ay walang problema. Magsibasa ng ‘you are hereby sentenced to.’ Ah, tatawag niyan, ‘Sir convicted kami.’ ‘Sabihin mo sa judge sandali lang.’ Pardon O, bigay mo sa judge. Ipabasa mo sa judge. O pardon pala kayo lahat. O, restored to full and political, civil rights and reinstated order with the promotion one rank higher…” the President said.
Duterte then said that he cannot abandon the cops because they might have simply followed his orders.
“Itong pulis ngayon nasabit hindi ko rin pwedeng iwanan, hindi ko talaga pwedeng iwanan. Kasi baka nga talaga sinunod ‘yung utos ko…” Duterte said.
The President added that Duterte “can pardon either conditional or absolute a convicted criminal or grant amnesty with the concurrence of Congress.”
Duterte has repeatedly given his assurance to the police and military who might get charged after arresting or shooting drug suspects who would resist arrest, telling them they he would protect them.
“Any policeman or military man charged [with] killing those bastards, they will have my protection. You can charge them with anything,” he said.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said that he disagreed with Duterte because vowing to pardon Supt. Marcos and his CIDG men would send “a very wrong message to law enforcement people.”
“That could give them the impression of a blanket authority to murder illegal drug suspects and, worse, from somebody who has actually the legal authority to grant [pardons],” Lacson said.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said that Duterte’s move to support Marcos and the others was “another proof” that the killings were statute-sponsored.
“As to the policemen who would be encouraged to follow Duterte’s illegal orders, they are forewarned that they would eventually answer for all these crimes. Duterte won’t be in power forever,” Trillanes said in a statement.
Senator Grace Poe then called Duterte’s defense of Marcos and the other CIDG-8 members “unfortunate.”
“It could send a wrong signal to law enforcers that while they may be enforcing legal orders from their superiors, they could altogether ignore the rule of law in properly carrying out such orders knowing that pardon awaits them,” she said.
Senator Bam Aquino also said Duterte’s remarks are disturbing as they make the cops look like they were “above the law.”
Duterte said in July 2016 that he would use the President’s power to pardon and give pre-signed pardons to honest cops facing charges for participating in his drug war.
Sources: ( inquirer.net , abs-cbn.com , gmanetwork.com )
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