Caloocan cops convicted of homicide over killing of father, son in 2016 drug operation

MANILA, Philippines – A Caloocan City court has convicted four cops of homicide over the killing of two people – a father and his son – during a drug war operation in the city in 2016.

Caloocan City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 121 Presiding Judge Ma. Rowena Violago Alejandria convicted Police Master Sergeant Virgilio Cervantes and police corporals Arnel de Guzman, Johnston Alacre, and Artemio Saguros of homicide.

They were convicted for the killing of Luis and Gabriel Bonifacio during the first few months of Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war.

The court sentenced the four cops to imprisonment of 6 years, 8 months, and 21 days to 8 years as minimum, and 1 day to 10 years as maximum.

They were also ordered to pay P100,000 each for moral, actual, and temperate damage, and civil indemnity.

This is only the fourth known conviction of cops in connection to the Duterte’s drug war, out of the close to 30,000 people killed in the bloody campaign. The first was in 2018, when cops were convicted of murder in the Kian delos Santos case.

In 2022, Patrolman Jeffrey Perez was convicted of torture and planting of evidence in relation to the killing of teens Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman. In March 2023, a Navotas court convicted the same cop for the murder of Arnaiz and De Guzman.

Mary Ann Domingo, Luis’ wife, said their house was raided by Caloocan cops past midnight on September 15, 2016. Domingo said she and their children were in their house when around 15 to 20 armed cops entered their house.

Luis was their target and when they saw him, they pointed their guns at him. Mary Ann and the children hurried upstairs while Luis was left pleading to the cops “on his knees with guns pointed at his head.” Their son, Gabriel, refused to leave his father’s side.

Later, Mary Ann said she and their three other children “were eventually dragged down the stairs and outside” their home and into the street. Afterwards, Mary Ann said they heard gunshots. She was told that her husband was dead while Gabriel was taken to the hospital. Gabriel later died.

In March 2017, Domingo filed a murder complaint against the police officials and personnel involved in the operation