2 cops in Carl, Kulot slays charged in court

MANILA, Philippines — Two policemen were formally charged before the Caloocan City regional trial court yesterday for allegedly torturing and killing teenagers Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman.

The cases were raffled off to Branch 122, headed by Judge Georgina Hidalgo.

Although Arnaiz and De Guzman were minors when they were killed, the cases were raffled off to regular courts instead of family courts, which handle sensitive cases involving minors. 

Executive Judge Victoriano Cabanos explained that according to the Supreme Court, cases involving killed minors fall under the jurisdiction of regular courts. 

Based on the information, Police Officers 1 Jeffrey Perez and Ricky Arquilita were charged for allegedly conspiring with each other to kill Arnaiz, 19, and De Guzman, 14.

They were also charged with one count of torture each for reportedly beating up the two teenagers before killing them.

They were also charged with planting evidence, such as sachets of marijuana and shabu in Arnaiz’s pockets and backpack and a .38 caliber revolver near Arnaiz’s body, to make it appear he engaged in a “shootout... as cover up for the intended killing,” the information read.

The August 2017 killings of the two teenagers followed that of Kian delos Santos, also in Caloocan City, where he was shot dead during what police claimed to be anti-illegal drug operation.

Delos Santos, a Grade 11 student, was killed in what police said was a shootout but what a closed-circuit television footage appeared to show as murder.

Arnaiz, meanwhile, was allegedly shot by Caloocan police on Aug. 18 last year after he allegedly held up taxi driver Tomas Bagcal.

He was last seen alive with De Guzman when both went out at night supposedly to buy snacks.

De Guzman’s body, with 24 stab wounds, was found weeks later in a creek in Gapan, Nueva Ecija .

The three teenagers’ killings sparked outrage over the administration’s brutal war on drugs and police abuses in anti-narcotics operations.

The cases against cops involved in Delos Santos’ killing are still pending with the Department of Justice (DOJ), which also cleared Bagcal, the taxi driver allegedly held up by Arnaiz.

The DOJ found no probable cause to charge Bagcal, who testified that he turned over Arnaiz to the police alive.

A witness has testified before a Senate investigation that Arnaiz was shot dead by the police officers while he was kneeling and in handcuffs.