EDITORIAL - Collateral damage

The police chief of Rodriguez town in Rizal and 19 of his men have been relieved and are facing investigation for the death of a three-year-old girl during a drug sting over a week ago.

The anti-narcotics team claimed Myka Ulpina was carried away as a human shield by her father Renato Ulpina, a suspected member of a drug trafficking gang, as he tried to flee while shooting at the raiders. Renato was shot dead at the scene; Myka succumbed to a gunshot wound in the head a day later in a hospital. Senior M/Sgt. Conrad Cabigao, the undercover cop who posed as a buyer, also died together with Renato’s alleged drug ring cohort, Enrique Kahilig.

We can believe cops when they say that nobody wants to see a young girl killed. Not wanting it, however, must be complemented by efforts to prevent such tragedies from happening.

The country is not a war zone, and firearms must be discharged with utmost care. The possibility of causing serious injuries and even death – as in the case of Myka Ulpina and countless others in the past years – can never be taken for granted, especially in crowded communities.

Relatives of the Ulpinas said the girl was asleep when the gunfire erupted. The public can only hope that probers will unearth the truth and justice will prevail. Investigators must disregard the comment on Myka’s death by the principal implementer of Oplan Tokhang, PNP chief-turned-senator Ronald dela Rosa: “S**t happens.”

Give Dela Rosa an A for candor, and a D-minus for sensitivity. Accidents – and especially accidental deaths in the course of law enforcement – can be avoided or minimized. The PNP is supposed to have rules of engagement and guidelines on how to handle cases involving children.

It’s not unusual for fleeing suspects to use human shields. The PNP must fine-tune its rules when children are used as shields in an armed encounter. In law enforcement, human life as collateral damage must be avoided at all costs.