THE proposed budget of the Department of Justice (DOJ) for 2023 yesterday breezed through the House committee on appropriations after officials told the lone interpellator that a total of 30 police officers who were involved in the 2021 police operation in the Calabarzon that led to the death of nine activists are now facing murder charges.
DOJ officials told Rep. France Castro (PL, ACT) that murder complaints have already been filed against 30 police officers before the Office of the Prosecutor after she asked for updates about the March 7, 2021 incident where at least nine activists were killed and six were arrested after police tried to serve search warrants in Calabarzon.
“’Yun pong na-involve sa Bloody Sunday, meron na pong finile, as per the report of the AO 35 (special investigation) team, nag-file na po ng cases for murder sa Office of the Prosecutor against 30 PNP officers and personnel (Those who were involved in Bloody Sunday, as per Administrative Order (AO) 35 team, murder cases were filed with the Office of the Prosecutor against 30 PNP officers and personnel),” Justice Undersecretary Brigido Dulay told the budget hearing on the DOJ’s proposed P26.6 billion budget for next year.
Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman initially moved to wrap up the budget hearing without any interpellation, reserving his questions for plenary deliberation when Castro raised the issue.
Two of those killed in the Batangas operation were Ariel Evangelista and his wife, who were members of the Ugnayan ng Mamamayan Laban sa Pagwawasak ng Kalikasan at Kalupaan.
Dulay said none of the 30 policemen are detained since the complaints are still undergoing preliminary investigation until now “and from there, our prosecutor will decide if an information will be filed or not (before the court).”
Castro complained the preliminary investigation is taking too long, obviously because police officers are the ones involved. However, when activists are the ones charged, she said they are immediately detained.
Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, a former Cavite representative, vowed to go after perpetrators of extrajudicial killings (EJK), saying one of the nine victims, Bayan Cavite coordinator Manny Asuncion, was his friend.
“Kaibigan ko po si Manny Asuncion. Lagi ko ka-text dati ‘yan, kausap ko. At kung mayroong nalungkot sa pangyayaring ‘yan, isa na po ako sa nalungkot sa pangyayaring ‘yan at hindi ko ‘yan pinalalampas (Manny Asuncion was my friend. We always texted and talked and if there were people who were saddened by that incident, I am one of them and I did not let it pass),” he said.
The House appropriations committee then terminated the budget hearing, signaling the approval of the proposed budget of the department and its attached agencies, which were listed in its website as the following: Bureau of Corrections, Bureau of Immigration, National Bureau of Investigation, Parole and Probation Administration, Presidential Commission on Good Government, Public Attorney’s Office, Office for Alternative Dispute Resolution, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, Office of the Solicitor General and the Land Registration Authority.
