By MARTIN SADONGDONG * JOSEPH PEDRAJAS
A police officer is facing investigation after he shot dead a former soldier suffering from mental illness during a confrontation in a quarantine checkpoint in Quezon City last Wednesday, the Quezon City Police District said yesterday.
QCPD director Police Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said that Master Sgt. Daniel Florendo Jr. of the QCPD Station 5 (Fairview) has been placed under their custody and will undergo criminal and administrative probe.
Florendo surrendered after he fatally shot former Private First Class Winston Ragos, 34, who succumbed to two bullet wounds.
The Philippine National Police and the Philippine Army yesterday called for a thorough investigation of the incident.
According to a police report from the QCPD, Florendo and four trainees from the PNP-Highway Patrol Group were manning a quarantine checkpoint in Maligaya Drive, Brangay Pasong Putik when they were confronted by Ragos.
Ragos walked away from the checkpoint and went to an eatery but the policemen followed him.
A closed circuit television footage showed that at the height of the confrontation, Florendo pointed a gun at Ragos who raised his arm in submission.
Several bystanders were also seen stopping the cops from firing as they seemingly informed them that he was mentally challenged.
However, minutes past into the confrontation, the disgruntled Ragos suddenly went berserk and appeared to pull out something from his sling bag, prompting Florendo to fire shots. Ragos swayed for a moment until he dropped lifeless on the ground.
Police Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, PNP chief, instructed the QCPD to conduct a full-dress investigation of the incident.
“Much as we do not want to hastily pass judgment and allow investigators the freehand to look into all angles of the case, we can only presume regularity in the actions of the PNP personnel involved while performing their duty on that fateful day,” said Police Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesperson.
“Police Master Sgt. Florendo was the only person in the best position to make that judgment call, better than any observer, viewer, and opinionated analyst with 20/20 hindsight. Had he erred in his judgment, he could possibly be the cadaver in the body bag,” Banac added.
Banac maintained that the video clips being circulated online showed police operational procedures were observed during the confrontation.
“At any rate, the investigation will not limit its probe on scenes that were captured in video clips only. All angles will be looked into and corroborated by conclusive forensic evidence,” he added.
However, the policemen were criticized for confiscating the sling bag of Ragos as shown in a CCTV footage – thus contaminating a potential evidence – prior to the arrival of Scene-of the-Crime-Operatives who were supposed to process the crime scene.
The QCPD police report said Ragos was hiding a .38-caliber revolver in the sling bag but the family of the victim reportedly claimed that he had no gun.
The policemen were also questioned why they failed to subdue Ragos when he was raising his arms in an apparent act of submission during the early part of the confrontation.
According to the revised police operational procedures, a police officer may use an “extreme but non-deadly measure” to bring a violent or threatening suspect under control or effect an arrest.
Army chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay ordered the Army Judge Advocate to launch an investigation in coodination with the PNP “in order that justice be given to the death of Ragos.”
Col. Ramon Zagala, Army spokesperson, said Ragos was given a complete disability discharge from his military service in November 2017 after being diagnosed with a mental disorder. He was accorded with pension and other assistance.
Ragos’ last known deployment was in Marawi City when the local terrorist Maute Group laid siege to the city.
Zagala said the Army condoles with the bereaved family of Ragos.
“To a soldier, the wounds of war are not just physical but also mental and their scars are not always visible,” Zagala said.
“The Philippine Army seeks awareness on the plight of former soldiers struggling with mental problems. Even though they are no longer soldiers, they continue fighting a silent and lifelong battle,” he added.
