Napagdesisyunan ni National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) Police Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde na sibakin ang siyam na opisyal ng Manila Police District (MPD) na sangkot sa marahas na pagbuwag sa mga raliyista sa harap ng US Embassy sa Ermita, Maynila, kamakalawa ng tanghali.
Ayon kay MPD Director Police Chief Supt. Joel Coronel, kabilang sa mga sinibak sa tungkulin ay sina Police Senior Supt. Marcelino Pedrozo, deputy district director for operations ng MPD; Police Supt. Alberto Barot, station commander ng MPD-Station 5/ground commander; Police Chief Insp. Dionelle Brannon, Pedro Gil PCP Commander; Police Chief Insp. Elmer Oseo, deputy, MPD-Station 5; Police Chief Insp. Joebie Astucia, Chief Operations ng MPD-Station 5; Police Chief Insp. Roberto Marinda, Coy Commander CRB (Augmentation); Police Chief Insp. Roberto Mangune, Coy Commander US Embassy Detail; Police Senior Insp. Edgardo Orongan, Chief Operations ng District Public Safety Batallion (DPSB); at PO3 Franklin Kho, ang driver ng police mobile car na nanagasa sa ilang raliyista.
Habang isinusulat ang balitang ito ay nasa floating status pa ang siyam na opisyal habang patuloy ang imbestigasyon sa nangyaring dispersal na nagresulta sa pagkasugat ng 53 raliyista at 10 pulis.
Samantala, kinondena ng Sandugo, national minority alliance, ang kahindik-hindik na pangyayari.
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Ayon kay Amirah Lidasan, Secrecretary-General ng Moro-Christian Peoples’ Alliance, member organization ng Sandugo, ipinag-utos ni Col. Marcelino Pedroso ng MPD sa kanyang mga tauhan na araruhin ang mga raliyista gamit ang police mobile car.
“We were in the front line of the rally. The protest was about to end when Col. Pedroso ordered his men to ram their vehicle against us,” kuwento ni Lidasan.
“It was the police who attacked the protesters. First they rammed the police vehicle against the people. Then they released tear gas and hit us with truncheons. That’s as clear as day,” pagpapatuloy ni Lidasan. “We were about to leave when the violence transpired. It was not called for. It’s unjustifiable,” dagdag niya.
Nakarating na umano, ayon kay PNP Chief Director General Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa, kay Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte ang nangyaring insidente at sinabing magsasagawa ng masusing imbestigasyon sa pangyayari at binigyang-diin “the obligations of our police to serve and protect the people.”
“But as he said, we cannot point fingers right away without clear investigation,” ani Dela Rosa.
(MARY ANN SANTIAGO, BELLA GAMOTEA, JUN FABON at YAS OCAMPO)
