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More details begin to surface anew over last week's shootout between agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Alvin Flores gang.
Based on initial findings of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR), the NBI operation was legitimate.
According to the government rights monitor, the suspects led by Alvin Flores were served their warrants by the agents and there were bullet holes found on the walls of the beachfront apartment where the gang leader and four others stayed.
Blood stains were covered with ashes as per instructions of the NBI agents. The CHR has yet to verify the account of a caretaker that only two men checked into the apartment before the bloody Oct. 29 raid yielded four corpses.
A minor casualty: Compostela police chief Supt. Milo Dagasdas could face relief for failing to inform the Police Regional Office (PRO), even through text message, about the NBI operation on the Rolex gang.
His neglect in the case is up for deliberation by Camp Crame. One may sympathize with the police chief for not being considered a priority in this NBI need-to-know-basis operation. He was informed about the high risk assault in the late afternoon, shortly before it took place.
In any case, it’s important to determine with solid evidence and finality whether there was a rubout or not. Let’s wait for the CHR to finish its investigation.
In flushing out the Greenbelt gang, it was a tough extraction job where the targets were armed and dangerous.
As observed immediately after the Oct. 29 strike, NBI operatives moved with precision and made sure the arena was contained. The shooters had deadly aim. The fact that civilians in Compostela weren’t caught in the crossfire was already commendable.
The loose ends, however, suggest some doubts whether rules of engagement were fully followed.
In a warrant service, the agent serving the court order is bound by the rule of law.
As a representative of the court, the agent has to identify himself and verify the subject’s identity. And no matter what he thinks of the deviant behaviour of the party he’s seeking, the agent must keep in mind that only a court of law can judge the guilt or innocence of the respondent as charged.
It’s called due process. Yes, even criminals are extended that protocol.
Either we believe that’s important, or we leave it to the mercies of any card-bearing law enforcement agency to barge into a private residence to dispense justice with guns blazing.
