Palace: Action being taken on Davao Boys in Reuters story
MALACAÑANG ON Thursday, Dec. 21, said the government has already taken action regarding the so-called Davao Boys of police officers in Quezon City who were the subject of a special report by Reuters on the Duterte administration’s drug war.
“There is a writ of amparo issued by the Supreme Court against the police station (No. 6 of the Quezon City Police District), so the response is we’re not taking it sitting down,” Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr., said at a press briefing on Thursday.
He added: “The government, when that petition for Amparo was filed in the Supreme Court, did not oppose the petition and that’s why the Supreme Court issued the Writ of Amparo.”
On the other hand, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director- General Ronald M. dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters that squad commander Lito Patay has been reassigned to another province to make him eligible for promotion. The Reuters story identified Mr. Patay as the leader of the Davao Boys who presided over the fierce anti-drug campaign in parts of Quezon City on the watch of Station No. 6.
A writ of amparo, as defined by Section 1 of the Rule on the Writ of Amparo, “is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened with violation by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or of a private individual or entity.”
“A writ of amparo will not provide for criminal sanctions against the respondents. What it will do is it will prompt the respondents to investigate, and the PNP right now is under obligation to investigate and confirm the reports of the petitioners in that writ of amparo,” Mr. Roque explained.
He added that, “if the investigation concludes that the police operation complained about was pursuant to the law, then the President will stand by the policemen.”— reports by