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MANILA, Philippines – Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Albayalde dared confessed vigilante killers to stand by their claims against a former Tondo, Manila police chief who allegedly gave them orders to kill drug suspects.
“If there are witnesses, kung merong mag-witness sa atin or magbibigay ng sanaysay na magpapatunay diyan (if there are people who will stand as witness or will give an affidavit to prove that), we’ll be very much willing to investigate that,” Albayalde said in a Camp Crame news briefing on Monday, October 8.
He was asked about Rappler’s running investigative report on killings in Tondo, which shows interviews with self-confessed assassins who said they were commanded to kill by former Manila Police District (MPD) Station 1 (Raxabago) Commander Superintendent Robert Domingo.
To recall, it was under Domingo’s leadership when the Commission on Human Rights found a secret jail cell at the Raxabago police office. He is currently taking courses at the PNP Academy in Cavite to qualify for a promotion.
Need for complaint: According to Albayalde, before they could mount an investigation, they would need to be prompted by a complaint – in this case, accounts from confessed killers.
“Kailangan dito, these people should come out in the open, come to us kung talagang merong ganitong allegations and we will investigate that fully (What we need here is for these people to come out in the open, come to us if ever there really are these allegations and we will investigate that fully),” Albayalde said.
Asked if the PNP will recommend for the killers to be admitted as state witnesses, Albayalde said in a text message that the PNP will leave it up to the courts.
Will they be apprehended if they come forward? “Of course not,” he added.
Old script: Albayalde’s statement has been used before by cops to address drug war reports implicating their colleagues.
When Tondo witnesses told Rappler of a cop – Police Officer III Ronald Alvarez – executing kills in Manila and reporting the victims as drug suspects who fought back, then MPD Chief Directorial Staff Bartolome Bustamante said they would need affidavits of witnesses before they could investigate. – Rappler.com
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