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JUSTICE
Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Wednesday castigated
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Leila de
Lima for quickly concluding that the killing of four
suspects in the massacre of 10 bank employees in a
robbery at the Rizal Commercial Bank Corp. (RCBC) in
Cabuyao, Laguna, on May 16 was a police rubout.
Gonzalez
also denied that he issued a shoot-to-kill order against
those responsible for the killing of 10 employees and a
client of RCBC. He said de Lima should have first
checked the exact statement he gave to the media during
the interview.
On
Monday, de Lima declared that the initial findings of
the CHR on the killing in Batangas of at least three
suspects in the robbery-massacre at the RCBC was a
rubout.
De Lima
also scored the justice secretary for issuing statements
that embolden law enforcers to “shoot” suspects.
“She was
making a conclusion out of something which she has never
been part of during the conversation. She is a very good
lawyer; she should find out the exact contents of my
statement,” Gonzalez told reporters in an interview.
Although
he agrees with the decision of the Philippine National
Police to relieve the policemen involved in the alleged
rubout, it is still unfair for them to be accused of
carrying out a summary execution without proper
investigation, he said.
“How can
you make a conclusion that there was already a rubout,
considering that it was only an initial investigation?
Well, you know, she could explain that that was initial
but to the people listening or reading, what will ring
very strongly in their minds is that there was a
rubout,” Gonzalez said.
“Do we
tell the criminals that they are violating human rights?
Has the Commission on Human Rights ever investigated the
criminals who kill innocent children? Or those people
who have mass graves in
Leyte? It’s just like having a boxer in the ring with one hand
tied behind his back. We should be fair. I’m not going
to protect policemen who are guilty,” he added.
He
admonished de Lima to check first the evidence as well,
specifically, checking the results of the ballistics and
paraffin tests.
The
National Police has relieved a police superintendent and
eight other policemen to pave the way for a thorough
investigation into the alleged rubout of the four
bank-robbery suspects.
The
policemen were identified as Supt. Gilbert Sauro, chief
of the Provincial Intelligence Branch and Special
Operations Group of the Batangas Police Provincial
Office, and eight of his men, whose names were not
disclosed as of press time.
PNP
chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr. issued the
order to pave the way for a thorough and impartial
investigation into the death of the four suspects
identified as Pepito Magsino, 35; Vivencio Javier, 55,
former chairman of barangay Pagaspag; Rolly Lachica, 50;
and Angelito Malabanan, 30.
At the
same time, Razon assured the CHR that it would provide
the fact-finding body with documentary requirements to
complete the investigation into the incident. |
