WE HEARD there is chatter among some lawyers who are toying with “temporary insanity” as a defense for a police master sergeant who is now under custody for Sunday’s killing of a mother and her son in Tarlac.
Others have advanced the idea that the charge should be homicide, not murder, because the killing was done in the heat of an argument, thereby discounting evident premeditation as a qualifying circumstance.
The police officer was caught on video firing off finishing shots at the prostrate bodies of the unarmed victims. This is damning evidence of intent to kill. This shows that the malefactor had decided to stick to his decision to terminate with prejudice, and not merely to injure or disable.
It will be difficult to convince the public prosecutor not to file an Information for double murder. There is something truly sinister about a policeman bringing a loaded gun to an argument with his neighbors.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson was correct in immediately calling on the leadership of the Philippine National Police to “show no mercy.” The former PNP chief added that “they should spare no efforts to make sure that he rots in jail. He’s the last policeman that they need in the force.”
We also agree with Senator Lacson’s policy proposal that police officers should turn in their issued firearms to their unit’s armorer or supply officer when on off-duty status. “That said, they should not be issued permits to carry firearms outside residence (PTCFOR) while still in the active service,” he added.
A bruised ego is certainly a lot better than the untold grief resulting from bad intentions.
On another note, this tragic incident highlights how videos have forced the hand of the authorities to prosecute executions that are otherwise difficult to bring to court.
To recall, the only successful prosecution of police misconduct so far relative to the government’s war on drugs was that of the killers of Kian delos Santos whose slaying in Caloocan was witnessed by some bystanders. Those witnesses would have been afraid coming out in the open in order to testify were it not for a CCTV footage that supported their version of the events.
The crucial first step towards justice is a credible police investigation that uncovers evidence leading to the arrest of a suspect. This is the evidence that the prosecutors present, and the courts accept and consider in coming out with convictions based on guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A couple of days ago another lifeless body was found gagged with masking tape on a busy street in Quezon City. Thousands of so-called vigilante killings in the name of the war on drugs have considerably inflated the statistics on unsolved murders – a veritable indictment of police capability or enthusiasm in identifying the culprits and holding to account those responsible for the violent attacks.
The best they can come up with is justice anchored on videos that show an utter lack of mercy and fear of the law.
This massive failure to indict and incarcerate modern-day Philippine assassins has resulted in more brazen attacks that do not seem to demarcate among social classes. Anyone is vulnerable. Anyone can be targeted for execution.
Lawyers, even doctors, are being targeted with impunity. Fearless killers abound, with no apparent regard for law and order, apprehension and punishment. The assassinations happen night and day, whether in busy streets or in isolated rural areas.
And then we hear of these cases where the police themselves are perpetrators of capital crimes. They certainly do not augur well for a government that was catapulted to power on a law and order platform./PN
