Philippines: Four Policemen Held Accountable for Murder of Father and Son in Drug War Operation
Philippine court convicts four police officers for the 2016 murder of a father and son in a botched drug raid, sentencing them to up to 10 years in prison and ordering $6.8 million in damages to the victims' heirs.
On Tuesday, June 18, the Caloocan City Regional Trial Court in the Philippines delivered a landmark verdict, finding four police officers guilty of the 2016 drug war-related killings of a father and son, Luis Bonficaio and Gabriel.
The court ruled that the officers, Sergeant Virgilio Q. Servantes, Corporals Arnel De Guzman, Johnston M. Alacre, and Argemio Saguros Jr., were guilty of homicide and sentenced them to up to ten years in prison. Additionally, they were ordered to pay a total of $6.8 million in damages to the victims' heirs.
On September 15, 2016, Caloocan police officers conducted a tokhang operation at the Bonifacio residence. According to Mary Ann Domingo, Luis's wife, police officers pointed their guns at her husband's head as he knelt and begged for forgiveness. She and her other children were forcibly taken from their home and placed in a van. A witness later informed her that Gabriel was taken out into the streets and shot by police, who claimed he was “resisting.” Gabriel later died in the hospital after a long illness, while Luis died at the scene.
Initially, the involved police officers faced a murder case, but the Office of the Ombudsman downgraded the charge to homicide after four years. The Ombudsman's decision was later upheld by the Supreme Court (SC), which ordered the trial to proceed in the local court. The guilty verdict marks a rare instance of accountability for police officers involved in the Philippines' controversial drug war.
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