CEBU CITY—The Philippine National Police (PNP) should be given a chance to prove that the 14 persons in Negros Oriental were killed in legitimate police operations.
Senator Panfilo Lacson had this to say amidst accusations that the fatalities were victims of massacre.
“Let’s give our police a chance to prove their claims that what happened were legitimate police operations,” said Lacson, who visited the Police Regional Office-Central Visayas (PRO 7) Headquarters yesterday to turn over the equipment that the PNP Foundation Inc. donated to PRO 7.
“Investigations by different bodies are ongoing. The Commission on Human Rights, the Internal Affairs Service of the PNP and the National Police Commission are investigating and the Department of Justice may come in,” said Lacson.
The PRO 7 has said that those who got killed after fighting it out with the police were either members or supporters of the New People’s Army (NPA).
Aside from the 14 fatalities, 16 persons were also arrested when police served 36 search warrants as part of the campaign against loose firearms in the Third District of Negros Oriental.
Lacson, a former PNP chief, said the public should not be quick to judge the police.
“Let’s not be swayed by propaganda, If you have noticed, those who are making noise are the front organizations (of the NPA),” added Lacson.
Lacson wondered why those who got killed were keeping firearms.
“When farmers possess firearms, fragmentation grenade and there were also handheld radios, what are those indicatives? Maybe they were farmers in the morning but in the evening, they armed and they extort,” said Lacson. (Calvin Cordova)
