POLICE officers during the halcyon days of the anti-drug war of former President Rodrigo Duterte were treated to a daily barrage of coaching and indoctrination about the way drug addicts, drug pushers and syndicate heads should be treated.
“Kill them!” Duterte used to say, goading cops and other lawmen to use the strong-arm tactics against individuals dealing in drugs, whether rich, poor, drug lords or ordinary pushers.
The former president even said he will take their place in jail should there be instances of criminal abuse, aside from providing the needed legal and financial assistance to the cops.
The policemen who believed Duterte’s strong exhortation and followed his advice literally are now facing criminal charges; several of them have in fact been convicted of murder, torture and other crimes.
In jail, they find themselves alone, felt enraged and disappointed, and perhaps even angry at the former president for pushing them to this precipice.
Recently, a police officer from Caloocan City was convicted of planting evidence and torturing teenage victims Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman. Arnaiz and De Guzman were among the thousands of casualties in the government’s war on drugs.
‘What happened to the PNP and other law enforcement agencies during the time of Duterte should leave a lasting reminder to their personnel to always uphold the law, regardless of what their leaders say.’
The Caloocan City Regional Trial Court Branch 122 found Patrolman Jefrey Perez guilty of violating Republic Act 9745 or the Anti-Torture Act of 2010. Perez was sentenced to a prison term of six months, as a minimum, to four years and two months as a maximum.
For violation of the same law in relation to De Guzman, the police officer was sentenced to reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment.
With regards to Arnaiz, the court meted two life terms to Perez for planting of evidence under RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, in addition to “absolute perpetual disqualification from any public office.”
Arnaiz, a University of the Philippines student, and 14-year-old Kulot were neighbors from Cainta, Rizal. On the evening of Aug. 18, 2017, they went out for a snack and disappeared. After 10 days, Arnaiz’s body was found at a funeral parlor in Caloocan, while Kulot’s body was found in a creek in Nueva Ecija on Sept. 6, 2017. He sustained 25 stab wounds.
We note the significance of the fact that Arnaiz and De Guzman’s killings occurred just two days after Caloocan policemen, in an anti-drug operation, killed 17-year-old Kian de los Santos. The three policemen-killers of De los Santos are now in prison. The year 2017 was a time when Duterte’s daily brainwashing of policemen proved to be effective, and many cops believed and obeyed their commander-in-chief.
It is consoling to note that the wheels of justice in the country are still turning and grinding, however slowly.
What happened to the PNP and other law enforcement agencies during the time of Duterte should leave a lasting reminder to their personnel to always uphold the law, regardless of what their leaders say. In the end, it is they and not their leader who will stand responsible before the law.
