17 cops in ‘Bloody Sunday’ raid cleared
THE Department of Justice (DOJ) has junked a murder complaint filed against 17 police officers implicated in the death of a labor leader, who was one of the activists simultaneously killed in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) on March 7, 2021, or what was infamously known now as “Bloody Sunday.”
The government prosecutors who handled the preliminary investigation found the evidence “insufficient” for an indictment.
Cleared were: Lt. Elbert M. Santos, Lt. Shay Jed Sapitula, Senior Master Sgt. Hector R. Cardinales, Master Sgt. Ariel P. Dela Cruz, Staff Sgt. Jemark Sajul, Cpl. Ernie A. Ambuyoc, Cpl. Mark John A. Defiesta, Cpl. Arjay Garcia.
Cpl. Caidar Dimacangun, Cpl. Bryan Sanchez, Cpl. Ericson Lucido, Pat. Jayson Maala, Pat. Juan Plite, Pat. Jonathan Tatel, Pat. Prince Benjamin Torres, Pat. Jaime Turingan, Pat. Lopera Rey PJ Dacara.
In a resolution, the DOJ said: “We lament the demise of Emmanuel Asuncion. However, the complainant (Liezel, wife of the slain labor leader) and the evidence she submitted failed to discharge the obligation to prove the existence of a crime and identify the perpetrators thereof.”
“In the absence of proof, there could be no probable cause to charge the respondents,” it added.
On March 7, 2021, authorities conducted simultaneous raids in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, and Rizal that resulted in the death of nine activists and the arrest of scores of others.
Reports showed that authorities were able to recover explosives, several firearms, and subversive documents during the said operations in Calabarzon.
The simultaneous raids were carried out by the Philippine National Police (PNP) together with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to serve search warrants for loose firearms and illegal possession of explosives.
