|
One of the most worrisome aspects of our criminal justice system is
the frequent violation of the human rights of crime suspects. They
are paraded before media even before they are formally charged in
court. In not a few instances, the suspects were killed in what
police called “shootouts.” It just pains me that when actual
shootouts take place, police could not shoot straight and civilians
are invariably hurt. But in these “shootouts,” police suddenly
become sharpshooters.
Sen. Nene Pimentel is well aware of this chink
in our criminal justice armor. He filed Senate Bill 1160, the
“Human Rights Resource Center Act of 2007,” as an offshoot of
the extra-judicial killings of local journalists, crime suspects and
members of left-leaning groups. Sen. Chiz Escudero and Sen. Noynoy
Aquino, chairmen of the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights
and on Local Government, respectively, have immediately reported out
Nene’s measure through Committee Report No. 54, with high hopes of
having it passed in the Second Regular Session.
Nene’s bill proposes the establishment of
Human Rights Resource Centers (HRRCs) throughout the country to
integrate the promotion and protection of human rights in the
implementation of the criminal justice system, in the conduct of
local governance and in local law enforcement. These centers shall
be the repository of all human rights concerns at the provincial
level, and shall, among others, monitor compliance with
international treaty obligations and national legislation on human
rights.
The HRCCs shall be attached to the Office of the
Governor in every province. However, the regional office of the
Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the Office of Provincial
Prosecutor, the Office of the Provincial Commander of the Armed
Forces of the Philippines and the Office of the Provincial Director
of the Philippine National Police shall collaborate and coordinate
in ensuring the effective operation of the HRRCs.
In urging the establishment of the HRRC,
Pimentel stressed that the protection of human rights is essential
to any country that calls itself democratic.
Wrongful arrest, rubout?
Had the HRRC been operational three months ago,
it could have been easier for the family and friends of ex-Sgt.
Ricardo “Edgar” Gomolon to seek assistance in his claim of
wrongful arrest by the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO).
NCRPO chief Director Geary Barias presented
Gomolon in a press conference last May 30 as one of the suspects in
the May 16 robbery-slay of 10 people at the Cabuyao, Laguna, branch
of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC). A week before
Gomolon’s arrest, three other suspects were killed by police in an
alleged shootout in Tanauan City. The Commission on Human Rights had
claimed the killing was a “rubout” after scrutinizing 15 sworn
statements. CHR Chairman Leila de Lima questioned why one of the
slain suspects, Pepito Magsino, bore 14 bullet wounds, including two
in the head.
Gomolon’s wife, Leah, has been continuously
seeking help from human rights advocates to help her in establishing
that her husband is innocent of the rob-slays. Their neighbors
corroborated her claim. An Inquirer report quoted neighbors as
saying that they last saw Gomolon in their community at Southside,
Makati, on the day of the heist until the next day.
Recalling Gomolon’s arrest on May 24, Barangay
Councilor Luis Cameran said that contrary to police claims, Gomolon
was not riding on a bicycle and did not have a gun on him at that
time. The Inquirer report also quoted Cameran as saying Gomolon was
arrested by police at his house while he was being interviewed by
personnel of Makati’s Social Work Department for a National Food
Authority access card.
And how true is the claim that the 9-year-old
beggar tagged by NCRPO as witness did not initially mention Gomolon
among the suspects who were in the vicinity of RCBC branch in
Cabuyao? The boy reportedly mentioned in his testimony seeing S/G
Joel de la Cruz and a certain Allan Bago in the bank’s vicinity,
but not Gomolon.
In his written testimony submitted to Task Force
RCBC, the gang’s alleged look-out,Crisanto Alvarez, said de la
Cruz was the one who let the suspects—Magsino and cohorts—named
as Jake Javier, Jun Alvarez, and Eugenio Hilario—into the bank
through its front entrance. I note that, like the boy, Alvarez did
not mention Gomolon in his written testimony as among the members of
the robbery gang involved in the RCBC heist.
Like everybody else, I want to see the RCBC
heist solved and the real perpetrators punished. However, police
should not be arresting anybody just to show to the public that they
are on the job. I remember the Vizconde massacre where the police
arrested three sets of suspects, declaring the case solved after
each arrest. Is this going to happen again in the RCBC case?
efrendanao2003@yahoo.com
|
