CA upholds cop’s conviction in drug war case

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the conviction of a Caloocan police officer for planting of evidence and torturing teenagers Carl Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, who were killed in 2017 in the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs.

In a 50-page ruling, the CA Second Division affirmed a lower court decision finding PO1 Jefrey Perez guilty for planting drugs and a gun in the case of Arnaiz. Perez was sentenced three terms of life imprisonment.

Arnaiz and De Guzman went missing on Aug. 17, 2017. Arnaiz’s body was found on Aug. 28 in a funeral parlor in Caloocan City with several gunshot wounds while De Guzman’s body was found a month later in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.

Police claimed that Arnaiz, a former student of the University of the Philippines, had robbed a taxi driver and was killed in a shootout when he supposedly fired at responding officers.

In affirming the conviction, the CA said circumstantial evidence, taken together, “constitute an unbroken chain leading to the reasonable conclusion” that Perez tortured the victims.

“In fine, when all the circumstances and pieces of evidence are taken together and not nitpicked individually, they paint the complete picture that accused-appellant was indeed responsible for the injuries suffered by Carl and Kulot, to the exclusion of all others,” the CA said.

The CA lamented how Arnaiz and De Guzman “lost their futures due to a system that permits torture, murders, and the fraudulent planting of evidence.”

It stressed the need to end the culture of impunity in the country that allows these violations to take place.

“The heartbreaking losses of their lives should act as a rallying cry for reforming law enforcement, enhancing judicial oversight, and ensuring that no further lives are claimed by those who are meant to protect,” it said.