CA voids cops' suspension over Davao summary killings

The Court of Appeals has nullified the preventive suspension of 22 Davao City policemen who were supposedly unable to prevent the string of extrajudicial killings by local death squads. In a 12-page decision, the court's Special 16th Division said the Office of the Ombudsman committed grave abuse of discretion in ordering the policemen suspended based on "raw statistics." “If that would serve as an acceptable standard, there will be no reason for the Ombudsman not to place [in preventive suspension] all other police officers in regions where crime rates are higher than in Davao City. This is absurd and contrary to the required evidence to sustain a preventive suspension," the court ruled. On Jan. 11, the Ombudsman ordered the suspension of Senior Superintendents Catalino Cuy and Jaime Morente; Chief Inspectors Mattew Baccay, Filmore Escobal, Leandro Felonia, Marvin Manuel Pepino, Ranulfo Cabanog, Vicente Danao, Napoleon Eguia, Alden Delvo, Joseph Sepulchre, Dionisio Abude, Juel Neil Salcedo, Joselito Loriza and Joel Neil Rojo; Superintendents Harry Espela, Michael John Dubria, and Rommil Mitra; Senior Inspectors Antonio Alberio and Arnulfo Mahinay; Police Inspectors Maximo Atuel and Rolly Tropico. The Ombudsman issued the order after an investigation of its fact-finding team showed that there were about 720 summary killings in Davao City from 2005 to 2008f, of which about 400 remain unresolved. Last year, the Commission on Human Rights looked into the killings of suspected drug dealers and petty criminals — which totals 814 victims — allegedly staged by death squads with the blessing of former Mayor and now Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. The New York-based Human Rights Watch also said police officers and government officials were responsible for the summary killings. But Duterte has denied any involvement in those killings. —VS, GMANews.TV