“Enough facts exist to support an indictment for murder, not mere reckless imprudence resulting in homicide,” members of the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers in the National Capital Region Chapter said.NUPL’s statement was issued on the Aug. 2 death of Jerhode “Jemboy” Baltazar, who was believed killed by members of the Philippine National Police in Navotas City after they thought the teenager was the robbery suspect they were looking for.
Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin “Benhur” Abalos Jr. had already called on the PNP leadership to revisit their operational procedures because of the incident.The NUPL said the 2023 PNP Police Operational Procedure “already specified the standards of necessary and reasonable force in accordance with their own ‘force continuum’ approach.