‘PLEASE FILE MURDER CASES NOW AGAINST MY MEN’

Makati PNP chief appeals to family of slain fireman:

‘PLEASE FILE MURDER CASES NOW AGAINST MY MEN’

A photo taken during the indignation rally in front of Makati PCP No. 3

It is rare as finding fish in a sea to see a gentleman among the ranks of police officers. Superintendent Jaime Osit Santos looks like he is one of them.

“Sir, pakisabi naman sa asawa at pamilya ni Ronald Infante na kung pwede, sampahan na ng kaso ang aming mga pulis. Gusto kong manaig ang hustisya para sa pamilya at para na rin sa mga walang kasalanan na malinis din ang kanilang pangalan.”

Thus went the appeal of Supt. Santos, the chief of Makati Police, when he called up over Alab ng Mamamahayag (ALAM) president Berteni “Toto” Cataluña Causing.

ALAM president assured he will relay his appeal to the family of Infante, the chief of a volunteer firefighters’ brigade in Manila.

Firemen and supporters light candles for Infante

Superintendent Santos gave assurance he will ensure fairness in the investigation and he will not coddle his men despite his belief that his men are innocent and acted only in the performance of duties as policemen responding to a call of duty.

Causing called up Marde Infante, a newsman who is an uncle of Ronald, and the uncle assured he will relay the message of hope of Supt. Santos.

ALAM chairman Jerry Sia Yap said Superintendent Santos acts as a gentleman and officer, a rarity among the ranks of policemen he has known in the long span of his work as a journalist.

At present, the issue is whether or not Ronald R. Infante and his aide, Jimmy Almanon, were murdered by the Makati cops who shot them dead on the spot while these policemen were responding to the call for police assistance.

Readers may read earlier stories on this in the following link:

1. Murdered by Makati cops, at this link: http://totocausing.blogspot.com/2012/04/murdered-by-makati-cops.html.

2. Why ban volunteer firetrucks from Makati, Mayor Junjun?, at this link: http://totocausing.blogspot.com/2012/04/why-ban-volunteer-firetrucks-from.html

3. Makati PNP chief says supporters of slain volunteer firefighter 'seditious', at this link: http://totocausing.blogspot.com/2012/04/makati-pnp-chief-says-supporters-of.html.

True Justice is one of the two main agenda of ALAM, the reason it is looking into the incident that was first reported as a robbery that further ended in the responding policemen shooting Infante and Almanon to death on the spot.

Firemen spray water on the road on Evangelista St. in protest

Controversy erupted when the family of Infante and more than 300 volunteer firefighters and dozens supporters paraded 50 fire trucks, 20 private vehicles and 50 motorcycles on Evangelista St. in Bangkal, Makati.

They staged indignation rally by shouting, “JUSTICE FOR RONALD INFANTE.”

The spot report given to ALAM by Superintendent Santos stated that these supporters put one banner bearing this call for justice on a tree in front of the headquarters of Makati Police Community Precinct No. 3.

The same report also said that these supporters trained their water cannons on the police headquarters and sprayed water thereon, nearly breaking the windows therein. 

It also said that about 20 supporters, two of them seen with pistols tucked on the waist, pushed the gate of the police headquarters and almost breaching it.

Wife of Infante (in dark glasses) during the protest action

Superintendent Santos told ALAM president and chairman that he ordered his men at the PCP No. 3 to observe maximum tolerance and not to shoot until the supporters breached their headquarters.

The indignation action stopped without any bloodshed but the cries and the wails of the sirens calling for justice remained in the hearts and minds of the residents of Bangkal, Makati.

Last April 1, traditionally referred to as “April Fool’s Day,” it was reported that Makati cops claimed they killed two men riding on a motorbike in tandem.

 

            The cops claimed they shot the two after a van driver sought help claiming he was being held up.

            It was however claimed that the responding cops did not issue a warning call that they just fired their guns when they saw the two men on a motorcycle chasing the van.

            As if, it seemingly showed that there was a premeditation to kill anybody seen fitting the van driver’s descriptions of two men riding on a motorcycle.

            The opinion of ALAM president Causing stated that there was the seeming incompetence on the part of the cops when they immediately gave the face value of the truth upon the declarations of the van driver who claimed he was running away from persons trying to hijack the LBC van he was driving.

            So that ALAM president opined that when Infante and his companion appeared in the cops’ sight while the victims were rushing because they were chasing the van, the cops fired at them without calling out for surrender.

Firemen and supporters ride on fire trucks as they protested

            Members of the firefighting community are now crying for justice for Infante, who they love to call “Severino Bravo,” and for his mechanic.

An investigation made by firefighters showed that the van sideswiped the motorcycle being driven at a corner in Makati. This was validated by the first claim of the van driver who claimed to GMA news team that he intentionally rammed the motorcycle and then he fled.

            Hence, volunteer firefighters claimed that when the driver ran, Infante chased him to answer for the damage and the act of ramming them.

            The LBC van driver was reported to have run to a gasoline station and cops were called in to respond.

            The van driver claimed that prior to this Infante incident, he was already hijacked long before and this was reported to PCP No. 4 as claimed by Superintendent Santos.

            ALAM president Causing, a lawyer, stressed that to clear that doubts once and for all and in the interest of truth, the concerned Makati cops should be charged and be scrutinized by the court.

Causing said that the evidence of murder may consist of: (a) the fact that the policemen did not give a doubt to the van driver’s claim considering that these cops did not even know whether the stories of the van driver were true or not; (b) the fact that they immediately resolved in their minds to kill anybody who would fit the descriptions given by the van driver; and (c) the fact that the cops did not first give a warning for the oncoming motorcycle passenger and driver to surrender peacefully.

            “Once and for all, truth must be found,” stressed ALAM chairman Yap, who is also the president of National Press Club.

Firemen and supporters light candles for Infante

            A .40 Glock pistol was recovered from Infante.  A 9-mm gun was recovered from the mechanic.

            Firefighters claimed that the said guns were licensed to the two and that there were permits to carry that were issued for them.

            ALAM has been fighting for the establishment of PEOPLE’S JUSTICE SYSTEM where the judges are the people themselves through their representatives, not the judges who have been responsible for the severe deterioration of justice in the country, producing brutal warlords and corrupt officials who commit crimes with impunity and without fear of punishment.