ABS-CBN News/file
MANILA (UPDATE) - The mother of a 16-year-old boy killed in an alleged anti-drug operation in Laguna has denied that her son fired gunshots against police, which supposedly led to his death.
Johndy Maglinte, 16, and a companion, Antonio Dalit, supposedly retaliated with force when authorities were serving arrest warrants in Barangay Canlalay, Biñan City last week, according to the police.
Johndy went to Dalit's house to deliver medicine, according to his mother Cristina Maglinte.
"Wala pong baril 'yun, hindi po yun marunong maghawak ng baril. 'Yun nga po ang kinagagalit ko, di naman po talaga totoong nakipagbarilan. Yung kasama niya may sakit, hindi nga makatayo paano makapagbarilan 'yun? Kalokohan ang sinasabi," she told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo on Monday.
(He had no gun, he did not know how to handle a gun. That's what I'm angry with, it's not true he exchanged fire with police. His companion had an illness and could not even get up, how can they exchange gunfire? That's nonsense.)
"Ang sabi po, yung anak ko pinatayo nila tapos pinadapa, nagmamakaawa na 'wag siyang patayin dahil may anak at may asawa. Pinatay pa rin."
(They said that my son was asked to stand up and then kneel, he was begging for his life because he has a child and a wife. He was still killed.)
https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/19/21/dapat-di-pinatay-pamilya-ng-16-anyos-na-binaril-sa-laguna-drug-ops-naghihinagpis
The incident was caught on video but only voices can be heard, according to the victim's mother.
"Nasa bukid sila noon, pero may mga tao po. Malayo po, may video nga po yung ano. Kaya lang, boses lang po ang ano, nagsisigawan ang mga nagvivideo," she said.
(They were on a farm but people were around. It was far but there was a video but only audio was caught, you can hear the people recording it were shouting.)
Johndy was accompanied by another person who got away from the scene, Cristina added.
"Dalawa po silang pinadapa, may isa pong nakatakas. Yun ang ano sana namin, siya ang tetestigo kaya lang po nagtatago na. Bibigyan naman po siya ng protection ni sir (PNP chief Gen. Guillermo) Eleazar para malutas itong kasong ito," she said.
(Two of them were asked to kneel. The other one fled. They would have been our witness but they've gone into hiding. Sir Eleazar said he would give them protection to solve this case.)
Biñan City Mayor Lourdes Cataquiz said she would provide burial and legal assistance to the Maglinte family.
The Philippine National Police and the Commission on Human Rights are conducting separate probes on the incident. Ten Laguna police officers tagged in the anti-drug operation have been placed under restrictive custody.
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Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, as overseer of the PNP, said he has ordered a "thorough" investigation into the incident and urged the National Bureau of Investigation to look into it.
"Kailangan ma-erase ang doubt ng public na yan ay isang paglabag sa karapatang pantao. Right now, I’m still waiting for the report of the chief PNP. As soon as may report dyan, ilalabas natin agad yan (we will release it immediately)," he said.
(We need to erase the public's doubt that this is a violation of human rights.)
Teleradyo, regional news, regions, Laguna, Johndy Maglinte, Cristina Maglinte, Antonio Dalit, war on drugs, PNP, drug war, nanlaban, EJKs, human rights, police killings