WE EXTEND our deepest sympathies to the family of Jerhode Jemboy Baltazar, a 17-year-old boy whose life was tragically taken in a police operation in Navotas City on Aug. 2. Our hearts and prayers are with his family in this time of grief.
Jemboy’s life abruptly ended when Navotas City police fired at him while boarding a boat, mistakenly identifying him as a suspect. The six officers involved have been relieved from duty and are now facing charges of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide, an offense punishable by imprisonment of up to 4 years and 2 months.
While the swift detainment of the officers involved is a commendable step, we urge authorities to ensure that proper charges have been made. It is a clear breach of the police institution’s own operations manual to fire warning shots and not provide any verbal warning to an alleged offender, much less a helpless child.
Jemboy is sadly not the only child victim of arbitrary killings in the past year. Killings have continued to this day, even under the present administration, following the same familiar narrative.
Gunmen, usually unidentified assailants, enter poor neighborhoods and households, indiscriminately firing at suspects, and ‘collateral damage’ like children are sadly merely perceived as mistakes.
But these children, whose lives were unnecessarily taken, are not mere numbers and casualties. For their families and loved ones, they are sons, daughters, siblings, and friends, each with their own name, dreams, and potential.
AC, a 15-year-old male, dreamed of becoming a seafarer someday. On May 29, 2023, he was relentlessly shot by unidentified gunmen in Navotas, in the house of their landlord, who is suspected of a drug violation.
Neighbors reported AC’s desperate plea: ‘Huwag po, maawa po kayo sa akin, ano po ang kasalanan ko?’ Despite his plea, he was shot dead. Later, the police claimed they had recovered cartridge cases, shabu, and other drug paraphernalia from the crime scene.
Marian, 15, wanted to be a social worker. On June 13, 2023, she heard noises inside her house where multiple families lived. She opened the door and upon doing so, was shot twice by unidentified gunmen. ‘Pare, babae pala ‘yung nabaril natin!’ The gunmen quickly left the place.
Marian ran to her mother, a barangay tanod, across the street, ‘Ma, may tama yata ako.’ She was rushed to the nearest hospital, but they could no longer save her life. The police said that the suspect in the house was involved in drugs. Marian was the type of person who was saving her money from her school allowance to feed poor children in their hometown in Masbate.
Samuel, 17, was found dead and handcuffed with a nylon cord wrapped around his neck on May 26, 2023, in San Ildefonso, Bulacan. According to the barangay officials, Samuel had been a child in conflict with the law and was placed in Bahay Pag-asa in Malolos several times due to his involvement in drugs. He wanted to change but is no longer given the chance to prove himself.
These are just some of the documented cases that are not receiving the same level of attention and public indignation as others. Yet, these cases are just as real, and the grief felt by the loved ones left behind is just as profound and painful.
We join various sectors in demanding reflection and change within our law enforcement, from the highest levels of policy-making down to the practices carried out by officers on the ground.
Children will only be safe and protected in this country if we start nurturing a culture that upholds due process, restorative justice, and respect for basic human rights and dignity.
The cases in this statement are documented by the Children’s Legal Rights and Development Center, a member of the Child Rights Network. – CHILD RIGHTS NETWORK <crnphilippines@gmail.com>
