DoJ to probe gun-planting in Bukidnon anti-drugs ops

BY JEFFREY DAMICOG

“Planting of evidence” is nothing new, but not in this age of social media.

Personnel involved in the anti-illegal drugs operation in Valencia City, Bukidnon are now being probed after they were caught on video allegedly planting a firearm on a slain suspect.

Justice Secretary Menardo I. Guevarra assured on Thursday that the DoJ will look in to the incident after the video has gone viral in social media.

“The panel will certainly give special attention to this particular incident in Valencia City,” the secretary said.

In the meantime, Guevarra said the Philippine National Police (PNP) should be allowed to do its job to look into the incident.

Guevarra explained “incidents of death during police operations against illegal drugs, such as the one in Valencia City, Bukidnon, are automatically investigated and referred to the regional internal affairs service of the PNP.”

“If properly authenticated, the video would be a very useful and relevant piece of evidence in determining where liability lies,” he pointed out.

“So let’s wait and see how the PNP authorities would deal with this situation,” he added.

Reports said the video was taken on Feb. 20 in Purok 4, Barangay Batangan in Valencia City and the slain drug suspect was later identified as Pol Lopez Estanol.

In the meantime, Guevarra assured “the DOJ-led review panel will continue looking into incidents of death during illegal drug operations in other parts of the country, including Region X.”

In June 30 last year, Guevarra told the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that the government formed the DOJ-led inter-agency panel to conduct “a judicious review of the 5,655 anti-illegal drug operations where deaths occurred.”

So far, Guevarra revealed to the UNHRC last Feb. 24 that there were many irregularities discovered in the anti-narcotics operations that have been reviewed and that the panel has taken action to address this.

Justice Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay has already revealed that the panel has reviewed 328 cases.