Duterte to meet military, police over Jolo shooting: Año

July 2, 2020

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Thursday said President Rodrigo Duterte will talk to the commanders of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in the Western Mindanao Command area to assure their relations will not be affected following the fatal shooting incident where four soldiers were killed by policemen.

In a press briefing at Malacañang, Año said he will join Duterte during the meeting.

Meanwhile, PNP chief General Archie Francisco Gamboa said Duterte is scheduled to meet the nine policemen involved in the shooting incident in Zamboanga City on Friday.

Gamboa said the nine cops will be going to Zamboanga City.

“They are going to Zamboanga tomorrow because the President wants to talk to the nine policemen with the heads of the units in Jolo (and) on the part of the AFP. the chief of staff, chief PNP will be there together with the President,” he said.

“The President himself, to make sure the relationship of PNP and the AFP will not be affected, the President is going to talk to the commanders of the AFP and the PNP in the Western Mindanao Command area and I'll be joining the President also,” Año said.

“If he has time ,he will also talk with the nine suspect policemen,” he added.

As a former AFP chief of staff, Año said he will ensure justice will prevail not only because the victims were soldiers but to show people everyone involved in the incident will be held accountable.

“We will answer whatever will be released on the investigation and we will file appropriate charges to them after the investigation,” he said.

Gamboa said they will create a fact-finding committee or a board of inquiry that will check on their operational procedures to prevent the incident from happening again.

“I know they are saying that from time to time it happens, well accidents really happen and whatever we do sometimes we cannot really prevent it but what should be in both institutions is to find out the faults of each and move forward because our enemy is the terrorist… we cannot be enemies with the AFP,” said Gamboa.

Gamboa said together with AFP, they should face the incident squarely that’s why they are leaving the investigation to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

“In the event the NBI investigation would recommend for an administrative charge against the policemen then so be it. We will try them although there are options,''said Gamboa.

''The Ombudsman can take over both criminal and administrative but whatever will be the decision of the NBI, whatever the decision of higher authorities, then the PNP is always open,” Gamboa added. Ella Dionisio/DMS