Statement of minority senators on Cebu police involvement

The minority senators stand together with Filipinos who are alarmed by an emboldened culture of violence and impunity in our country. The foiled assassination attempt on a village official in Cebu City by a police antidrug officer reveals the abuse of power by policemen in carrying out the government's war on drugs.

If any, this shows that cops are involved in the so-called extra-judicial killings.

Jesselou Cadungog, a village councillor in Barangay Tejero, survived the ambush. His bodyguards killed the assailant, PO3 Eugene Alcain Calumba, the antidrug officer.

The residents arrested alleged accomplice, Michael Banua, a police asset.

The Cebu City police, however, are peddling a ludicrous story by saying that Banua was their witness, and that it was Cadungog who attacked Calumba.

We stand by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña in coming to the defense of the village official. We also believe that an honest-to-goodness investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation is needed to bring out the truth not only about the incident, but in the involvement of policemen and authorities in the killings allegedly in the name of the war on drugs.

This is not the first time we have heard about policemen planting evidence on the body of the slain suspect, or saying the suspect resisted arrest (nanlaban) to justify the killing.

Just now, media reports said kidnap-for-ransom suspects that were involved in a police shootout were policemen in active duty from the Taguig police precinct 1. And who can forget the brutal murders of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo and young people, including Kian delos Santos?

It's the President's war on drugs that has encouraged and instigated killings and have emboldened rogue cops to take advantage of the impunity it has unleashed. Every time the killer escapes without being arrested sends the message that future killings can be carried out with impunity.

We are thus urging PNP Chief Albayalde to revisit their ranks and ensure that PNP is still true to its mandate to serve and protect.