Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar encouraged the families of Johndy Maglinte, 16, and drug suspect Antonio Castillo Dalit to disclose to investigators what they know about the police operation in Biñan City, Laguna in which the two were killed.
Eleazar also called on other witnesses to the incident to provide statements that would aid the investigation of the case. The PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) was tasked to probe the incident that happened last Wednesday (June 16) to determine if the operating team strictly followed police operational procedures.
“We are urging the families of Johndy Maglinte and Antonio Dalit and those who witnessed the incident to provide their statements to the PNP Internal Affairs Service as their narrations could help shed light on the incident,” Eleazar said.
“Bukas po ang ating IAS sa anumang salaysay na makapaglalahad ng katotohanan sa insidenteng ito,” he added.
According to the PNP chief, “Hindi mahahanap ang katotohanan at hindi makakamit ang hustisya kung tayo ay mananahimik na lang.” He assured protection for witnesses who come forward.
The Laguna Provincial IAS and the Calabarzon Regional IAS investigators on Friday personally spoke to the relatives of Maglinte and Dalit to get their affidavits of complaint, but the relatives said they were not ready to give statements.
The investigators gave them contact numbers through which the teenager’s and drug suspect’s relatives could reach out.
Police Regional Office 4-A (PRO4A) Director Brig. Gen. Eliseo Cruz directed the Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division (RIDMD) to lead a fact-finding task group to probe the incident.
Cruz ordered Police Intelligence Unit (PIU) Laguna head Capt. Fernando Credo and nine others involved in the incident to be placed under the restrictive custody of PRO4A.
All policemen involved in the operation were subjected to paraffin testing, while ballistics examinations were conducted on their firearms. The bodies of Maglinte and Dalit were autopsied and also subjected to paraffin testing.
Police operatives claimed that Maglinte and drug suspect Dalit, the target of the operation who is included on Laguna’s ten most wanted list, fought back while they were serving an arrest warrant on the accused drug offender. However, Maglinte’s family alleged that the teenager and the drug suspect were executed by the policemen.
“I have already instructed the RD [regional director] of PRO-Calabarzon and IAS to finish the investigation in the soonest possible time. And in the meantime, I ask our kababayan to let the investigations take their course,” the PNP chief said, vowing to give his full attention to the case.
Meanwhile, Eleazar welcomed an independent investigation by the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on the incident and assured them of the PNP’s full cooperation.
“Bukas po ang PNP sa imbestigasyon. Like the CHR, we also want to find out the truth in this incident. I assure that all police personnel involved will be made available to the CHR for the duration of its probe, in the same manner that the policemen [will] face the motu proprio investigation by the IAS and the fact-finding probe of PRO4A,” he said.
Eleazar added that the PNP will not condone any lapses in the operation, should there be such findings by the investigating bodies. (PNP-PIO) – jlo