By Jennifer P. Rendon
He said, she said.
Amid the controversies surrounding the bloody Rizal Day raids in Tapaz, Capiz, the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) asserted that the implementation of the search warrants on Dec 30, 2020 was above board.
The CIDG, the police unit that led the serving of 28 search warrants, stood by its earlier pronouncements that the nine slain persons put up a fight against the raiding teams.
But when asked how the resistance happened, Lieutenant Colonel Gervacio Balmaceda, CIDG-6 Regional Director, did not give specific details of how the resistance happened and why policemen had to use force to neutralize the subjects.
Balmaceda admitted that some members of the raiding team took photographs for documentation purposes and that the Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 issued a camera to be used only for “still photography.”
An operative in each of the nine teams was tasked to handle the taking of photos.
But why not take video footages as well?
“Dapat kasi ‘yung gamitin lang are equipment officially issued by offices. Hindi pwede ang cellphone,” Balmaceda said, citing that they might be questioned during the presentation of evidence.
He did not elaborate.
But amid questions whether there was resistance or not, Balmaceda said that they have initiated an investigation on the different teams involved and their members must be interviewed on what happened.
“We have to dig deeper. We will be coming up with Investigation report that will be submitted to the internal affairs,” he said.
The PNP Regional Internal Affairs Service 6 (RIAS-6) has also started its motu proprio (by its own initiative) on the deadly raids in Tapaz.
The encounter led to the deaths of Roy Giganto, Reynaldo Katipunan and Mario Aguirre of Barangay Lahug; Maurito Diaz Sr. of Barangay Tacayan; Eliseo Gayas, Jr. of Barangay Aglinab; Artilito Katipunan of Barangay Acuña; Joemar Vidal of Barangay Daan Sur; and Garson Catamin and Rolando Diaz of Barangay Nayawan.
Their families earlier asserted that they offered no resistance and were killed at point blank. Seven villages in Tapaz, Capiz and two in Calinog, Iloilo were the subjects of the raids. But no one was killed nor injured in the Iloilo raid.
Meanwhile, Balmaceda said he could not exactly reveal what happened in Tapaz, as “we don’t want to speculate more but the legitimacy and proper conduct of the search warrant is properly implemented.”
But he said the initial reports indicated that the slain personalities “have posed danger to the implementing teams. Mayroon armas at unang nagpaputok.”
During the operation, one policeman was shot but was uninjured as the bullet hit his bullet-proof vest. When asked about reports that most of those slain suffered three to four bullet injuries on their chests, Balmaceda did not categorically answered the veracity of the information
“That depends on the appreciation of the raiding teams. There is a threat on their life, they have to defend themselves. We must also understand that the area ay hindi naman sya very clear. May mga madidilim talagang portion and initial interview sa participants, nang magpaputok ang subject, we have to answer back,” he said.
Ergo, there was no such thing as overkill.
Balmaceda said that it must be noted that the subjects were deemed armed and dangerous.
