Press Release
January 13, 2013

REVILLA WANTS SENATE PROBE ON ATIMONAN INCIDENT

Senator Ramon Bong Revilla, Jr. urges appropriate Senate committees to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the controversial Atimonan shooting incident.

According to the senator, it must be determined whether the incident was a culmination of a three-month police operation under "Coplan Armado"; a Case Operational Plan against organized crime groups in Calabarzon or a rub-out as asserted by the families of those who were killed,

It could be recalled that last January 6, two Mitsubishi Montero sport utility vehicles were fired upon by elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Army (PA) after allegedly evading a checkpoint along Maharlika Highway, in Atimonan, Quezon. The incident ended with all thirteen (13) passengers of the vehicles dead and one PNP official wounded. Among those killed are members of both police and military units, businessmen, and an environmentalist.

"The sheer number of people dead in the incident makes an investigation imperative so that related legislations may be passed and/or amended as the need arise." Revilla pointed out.

The lawmaker stressed that the initial findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the lead investigator tasked by the President to look into the incident, contradict the reports and findings of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and new information links the incident to a 'shootout' in Calamba, Laguna, last November, 2012, where six (6) individuals were killed by the police.

"We must also find out if certain SOPs in police operations were violated or there are loopholes in the existing SOPs," he said.

Revilla will be filing a resolution this week to formally direct the appropriate Senate Committees to conduct an investigation on the incident. "We must not leave this case hanging in doubt. Dapat magkaalaman na kung ano talaga ang nangyari, kung ano talaga ang motibo ng pangyayari," he added.

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