Hours before the Senate resumed its investigation into the government’s anti-drugs campaign yesterday, a pedicab driver was gunned down by four policemen despite his alleged plea to surrender.
Eric Sison, 22, of F. Muñoz St., Barangay 43, Zone 6, was killed inside the house of his neighbor, Rosalie Tuazon following a chase in which the police claimed the drug suspect fired at the pursuing lawmen.
Found in the suspect’s possession were four sachets of suspected marijuana, a sachet of suspected shabu, a revolver loaded with two live bullets and a glass tube.
Relatives of the slain suspect, however, claimed Sison was not into drugs.
A video obtained by the Manila Bulletin suggests that Sison was about to surrender before multiple gunshots rang out.
The video does not show the actual killing, but the audio can be heard audibly.
In the video, a woman’s voice was heard saying “Wag muna kayo magpapaputok!”
A policeman shouted: “Wag kang makialam.”
Another cop shouted: “Bibilangan kita hanggang tatlo. Kapag hindi ka lumabas dyan puputukan kita.”
A man’s voice, purportedly Sison’s, pleaded: “Ito po, ito po susuko na po ako.”
Then shots were fired.
During questioning, Tuazon virtually owned the woman’s voice on video.
“Ang sabi ko sa mga pulis, wag muna magpapaputok dahil gusto ko muna ma-secure ‘yong mga anak ko,” Tuazon said.
Arli, the suspect’s brother, claimed he witnessed how Eric was shot by police while covering his face with both hands.
Before ending up in their neighbor’s house, Arli said he saw his brother being hit while running away from pursuing lawmen.
“Pagtakbo niya diyan nagulat ako kasi tumumba siya. Natamaan na siya ng putok ng pulis. Kukuhanin ko sana eh di ko alam kung ano ang nangyari nagtatakbuhan na pala,” Arli said.
Mariel, sister of Eric, denied that his brother was not into illegal drugs.
“Hindi po siya ganun. Mga hayop! Kahit walang kalaban-laban pinapatay lang nila!” Mariel said, adding that his brother does not have a criminal record.
According to PO3 Alberto Barangas Jr. and PO3 Giovanni Arcinue of the Pasay City Police, the four policemen assigned to the Buendia Police Community Precinct stumbled into Sison and an unidentified companion at around 1:45 a.m. while on patrol on Tripa de Galina creek along F. Muñoz Street.
Sison and his companion immediately scampered away.
The police report said Sison aimed a gun at the pursuing policemen. The suspect ran inside his home before jumping off to the roof of a neighbor’s house. Police said the suspect got hit while on the roof.
Tuazon told police that she was sleeping together with her kids when they heard a crash on their roof. She said she couldn’t tell whether Sison had a gun because she initially did not see one in his possession.
Hours after the incident, the four policemen showed up in civilian clothes after being summoned by Chief Inspector Oscar Pagulayan, chief of the Buendia PCP.
The names of the four policemen could not be obtained as Pagulayan declined to be interviewed.
Meanwhile, a certain Felipe Matias, who was just getting off his bicycle a few meters away from Sison’s house, was hit by a stray bullet on the shoulder. (MARTIN SADONGDONG)
