Umaasa ngayon si Department of Justice (DoJ) Sec. Menardo Guevarra na boluntaryo nang sumuko ang siyam na pulis na sangkot sa pagkamatay ng apat na sundalo sa Jolo, Sulu.
Kasunod na rin ito ng pagpapalaya sa kanila ng (PNP) dahil wala na sila sa ilalim ng hurisdiksiyon ng pambansang pulisya at dahil sa kawalan ng arrest warrants.
Una rito, nagpahayag na ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) ng pagkadismaya dahil sa pagpapalaya sa mga suspek.
Ayon kay Guevarra, mas makabubuti kung boluntaryong sumuko na lamang ang mga naturang pulis kaysa sa tugisin pa sila ng mga otoridad.
Kinumpirma ni Guevarra na inatasan na niya ang mga prosecutor na maghain ng urgent motion sa Sulu Regional Trial Court (RTC) para sa paglalabas ng hold departure order (HDO) laban sa mga akusado.
Nauna nang sinabi ng DoJ na naihain na ang criminal information laban sa mga pulis noong Enero 4, 2021.
Pero dahil naka-lockdown ang Sulu dahil sa banta ng Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), hindi pa nakakapag-palabas ng arrest warrants ang korte.
“The DOJ prosecutors filed the criminal information against the 9 police officers last january 4. the court was supposed to issue the warrants of arrest thereafter, but apparently failed to do so because of the current lockdown in sulu. in the meantime, the 9 police officers were released from custody despite requests of the DOJ with the PNP to hold them awhile until the arrest warrants were issued. we hope that the 9 accused will voluntarily turn themselves in when such warrants are eventually released by the court. otherwise, law enforcement agents will look for them and take them into custody. in the meantime, i have instructed the prosecutors to file an urgent motion in court for the issuance of a hold-departure order against all the accused,” ani Guevarra.
Samantala, sinabi naman ni Associate Prosecution Attorney Honey Rose Delgado tagapagsalita ng Office of the Prosecutor General na kailangan umanong madetermina ng korte kung mayroong probable cause para mag-isyu ang korte ng warrant of arrest.
Posible raw bumagal ang pagproseso sa warrant of arrest kapag hindi pa nakakapag-operate ng full capacity ang naturang korte o kung nanatili pa itong naka-lockdown.
“In so far as the DoJ is concerned, the Criminal Information was filed on January 4, 2021. We are still awaiting for the issuance of the warrant of arrest from the court. However, we were informed that sulu is still on lockdown. The court, in itself, will determine if there is probable cause to issue warrants of arrest. The prosecutor need not apply for such issuance. If sulu is still on lockdown, the courts might not be operating in its full capacity — may or may not slow down the process,” wika ni Delgado.
