Charges are likely to be filed next week against the police and military
personnel involved in the January 6 bloodbath in Atimonan, Quezon, that
left 13 people dead, an official of the National Bureau of
Investigation (NBI) said Monday.
"We will submit the report to the President on Wednesday. The filing of the case would be next week," said Virgilio Mendez, NBI's deputy director for regional operations services.
The NBI, the sole government agency authorized by President Benigno Aquino III to probe the incident, is in the final stages of its investigation, Mendez said.
Mendez's office is preparing two investigation reports—one for Aquino that will be submitted on Wednesday, and another one for Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, which is expected to be submitted next week.
Aquino is scheduled to leave the country Wednesday night for Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum for the first time.
Mendez refused to say who and how many individuals would be charged. He also did not say what charges would be recommended against the involved security personnel.
Asked if Superintendent Hansel Marantan would be among those who will be charged, Mendez only said: "Kasama siya sa operation 'di ba?"
Marantan was the police ground commander at the checkpoint where the 13 fatalities were flagged down. He and his men said the 13 were killed in a shootout that resulted from a legitimate operation targeting a gun-for-hire group led by alleged jueteng operator Victor "Vic" Siman, who was among the fatalities.
"Umamin na sila na nagpaputok sila. Umamin na sila na nagpaputok sila sa itaas tapos nagkaputukan na," Mendez said. "So it's now up to them and to their lawyers to prove that their action were justified."
Asked if Bicol miner Ronnie Habitan would be included in the charge sheet, Mendez said: "Bakit? Ano ba participation niya sa insidente?"
When told that Habitan was reportedly the one who tipped off Marantan that Siman's convoy was on its way to Atimonan, Mendez said: "How sure are we that it was really him who gave the tip?"
De Lima, in an interview after emerging from a case conference with NBI officials earlier in the day, said she would rather not give further details on the progress of the investigating. She said doing so would be "anti-climactic."
"While completing the report, wala muna kaming information at facts na dapat i-share," De Lima told reporters.
She said the NBI is working "double time" to complete its investigation, but at the same time not rushing things up. "I have talked to President Aquino this morning and he said, kung hindi daw kayang tapusin [this week], huwag pilitin."
De Lima also stressed that she would not retract her earlier theory that the incident was "definitely not a shootout" based on witness accounts and a re-enactment of the incident.
Last week, lawyer Crisanto Buela - legally representing policemen and soldiers linked to the shooting - and Lt. Col. Monico Abang both claimed there were several mistakes in the re-enactment of the incident.
Buela claimed they would later present their own witness to contradict De Lima's pronouncement.
Meanwhile, according to an "After Encounter Sketch" provided by the military's First Special Forces Battalion, there were five police mobiles and two military vehicles at the checkpoint when the victims' convoy was flagged down.
The sketch, a copy of which was distributed to reporters by an NBI source, showed several arrow lines emanating from the two police mobiles and the two military vehicles and directed towards the two vehicles of the victims.
The source said the arrows indicated the trajectory of the bullets. No arrow line were drawn from the victims' vehicles and toward the police and military's vehicles.
The sketch also showed a truck right behind the victims' vehicles. The source said the witnesses were on board that truck when they saw the shooting.
The witnesses are now under government protection. — KBK, GMA News
"We will submit the report to the President on Wednesday. The filing of the case would be next week," said Virgilio Mendez, NBI's deputy director for regional operations services.
The NBI, the sole government agency authorized by President Benigno Aquino III to probe the incident, is in the final stages of its investigation, Mendez said.
Mendez's office is preparing two investigation reports—one for Aquino that will be submitted on Wednesday, and another one for Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, which is expected to be submitted next week.
Aquino is scheduled to leave the country Wednesday night for Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum for the first time.
Mendez refused to say who and how many individuals would be charged. He also did not say what charges would be recommended against the involved security personnel.
Asked if Superintendent Hansel Marantan would be among those who will be charged, Mendez only said: "Kasama siya sa operation 'di ba?"
Marantan was the police ground commander at the checkpoint where the 13 fatalities were flagged down. He and his men said the 13 were killed in a shootout that resulted from a legitimate operation targeting a gun-for-hire group led by alleged jueteng operator Victor "Vic" Siman, who was among the fatalities.
"Umamin na sila na nagpaputok sila. Umamin na sila na nagpaputok sila sa itaas tapos nagkaputukan na," Mendez said. "So it's now up to them and to their lawyers to prove that their action were justified."
Asked if Bicol miner Ronnie Habitan would be included in the charge sheet, Mendez said: "Bakit? Ano ba participation niya sa insidente?"
When told that Habitan was reportedly the one who tipped off Marantan that Siman's convoy was on its way to Atimonan, Mendez said: "How sure are we that it was really him who gave the tip?"
De Lima, in an interview after emerging from a case conference with NBI officials earlier in the day, said she would rather not give further details on the progress of the investigating. She said doing so would be "anti-climactic."
"While completing the report, wala muna kaming information at facts na dapat i-share," De Lima told reporters.
She said the NBI is working "double time" to complete its investigation, but at the same time not rushing things up. "I have talked to President Aquino this morning and he said, kung hindi daw kayang tapusin [this week], huwag pilitin."
De Lima also stressed that she would not retract her earlier theory that the incident was "definitely not a shootout" based on witness accounts and a re-enactment of the incident.
Last week, lawyer Crisanto Buela - legally representing policemen and soldiers linked to the shooting - and Lt. Col. Monico Abang both claimed there were several mistakes in the re-enactment of the incident.
Buela claimed they would later present their own witness to contradict De Lima's pronouncement.
Meanwhile, according to an "After Encounter Sketch" provided by the military's First Special Forces Battalion, there were five police mobiles and two military vehicles at the checkpoint when the victims' convoy was flagged down.
The sketch, a copy of which was distributed to reporters by an NBI source, showed several arrow lines emanating from the two police mobiles and the two military vehicles and directed towards the two vehicles of the victims.
The source said the arrows indicated the trajectory of the bullets. No arrow line were drawn from the victims' vehicles and toward the police and military's vehicles.
The sketch also showed a truck right behind the victims' vehicles. The source said the witnesses were on board that truck when they saw the shooting.
The witnesses are now under government protection. — KBK, GMA News
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