“License to Kill”

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A relative told Human Rights Watch that Ronda went out drinking with a group of friends on the evening of June 7 in nearby town of Biñan. At about 5 a.m. on June 8, Ronda took a moto-taxi home with a friend. 79 On their way, while in the area of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines at Santa Rosa, they passed a white van with at least three plainclothes armed men inside, who stopped the moto taxi, and identified themselves as policemen. 80 Ronda’s friend ran away, but the armed men detained Ronda and told the driver of the moto taxi to leave. 81 Ronda’s family later learned from his friend that the armed men took Ronda into the van and drove off, but apparently remained in the vicinity of the university. Ronda’s relative told Human Rights Watch that people in the area heard gunshots. When they went to investigate, they found Ronda’s body near the university’s basketball court just 100 meters from where he had been detained by the police. He had a gunshot wound to the temple and what looked like ligature marks near his neck. A .38 caliber handgun and packets of drugs were found near his body. 82 The policemen and the white van were not at the scene when the body was discovered, but Scene of Crimes Operatives (SOCO) investigative officers arrived soon after. 83 The police report of the incident, signed by the chief of police of the Santa Rosa City Police Station in Laguna, offered a version of events inconsistent with the witness account. The report states that police killed Ronda during a “buy-bust” operation, alleging that he was shot after he grew suspicious and drew a gun on undercover police officers. The report makes no mention of his detention by the officers in the van: Investigation conducted disclosed that Intel operatives of this station conducted an anti-illegal drugs operation (buy-bust) operation led by [intelligence officers] against the suspect after police acted as a poseur 79 Ibid. 80 Ibid. 81 Ibid. 82 Ibid. 83 Ibid. LICENSE TO KILL 42
uyer was to purchase one (1) piece of small heat transparent plastic sachet containing [shabu]. The suspect who seeing the poseur buyer is a police officer armed with a [.38 caliber handgun] suddenly opened fired to the intel operatives forcing them to returned fire wherein the former was hit during exchange of fire and sustained gunshot wound on his body. 84 The police further claimed that the wounded Ronda was taken to the hospital by a police “rescue team” where he was declared dead, and that a .38 caliber handgun with two fired cartridges was found at the scene by SOCO police investigators. 85 The family blames the killing on President Duterte’s repeated calls on police to target drug dealers during his election campaign. According to a relative: Edwin was killed after Duterte was elected, but before he became president. Edwin’s killing was a gift to the President, you see the killing campaign started even before he took [office]. It was like a gift from the police officers to the president [elect]. 86 Oliver Dela Cruz, July 1 Barangay Pala-Pala, San Ildefonso, Bulacan province Oliver Dela Cruz, 43, was a rice and vegetable farmer in rural Bulacan province north of Manila. However, after becoming ill from lung disease, he no longer could do the vigorous labor required for farming. 87 According to his family, in 2015 he turned to dealing shabu to try and make enough money to feed his six children, and for the medical treatment for both his own illness and a son’s hepatitis. When the killings of drug dealers began, his family begged him to stop dealing, but Dela Cruz told them he had no other way to support his family. 88 84 Santa Rosa Police Station, “SWR re Violation of Section 5 of Article II of RA 9165 (Buy-Bust) and RA 10591 that resulted to armed encounter,” June 8, 2016, signed Reynaldo M. Maclang, Police Superintendent (on file with Human Rights Watch). 85 Ibid. 86 Human Rights Watch interview with relative of Edwin Ronda, name withheld, October 20, 2016. 87 Human Rights Watch Interview with relative of Oliver Dela Cruz, name withheld, San Ildefonso, October 21, 2016. 88 Ibid. 43 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MARCH 2017
Page 1: H U M A N R I G H T S W A T C H “
Page 4 and 5: Copyright © 2017 Human Rights Watc
Page 6 and 7: Norberto Maderal, George Avanceña,
Page 9: SUMMARY HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | MARCH
Page 12 and 13: On the afternoon of October 14, 201
Page 14 and 15: Jayson Asuncion, 37, surrendered to
Page 16 and 17: A barangay official told Rogie Seba
Page 18: A family picture with the coffin of
Page 21 and 22: Human Rights Watch examined the pol
Page 23 and 24: Six masked armed men burst into a M
Page 25 and 26: Relatives of Edward Sentorias, 34,
Page 28 and 29: and his top subordinates have denie
Page 31 and 32: “Hitler massacred three million J
Page 33 and 34: Methodology From October 2016 to Ja
Page 35 and 36: eal crime wave unleashed by his own
Page 37 and 38: Duterte was Davao City mayor for mo
Page 39 and 40: sanctioned death squads in cities i
Page 41 and 42: “And if in the process you kill o
Page 43 and 44: The human rights [activists] said I
Page 45 and 46: Adviser Hermogenes Esperon confirme
Page 47 and 48: meant to indicate that police opera
Page 49: the suspects had been in police cus
Page 53 and 54: Media accounts of the incident said
Page 55 and 56: Approximately 30 minutes after the
Page 57 and 58: no reason to lie about this. That i
Page 59 and 60: Napoleon Miras Ai-Ai, July 24 Baran
Page 61 and 62: [T]he suspect sensed that he was be
Page 63 and 64: Noel Alberto, “Sarah,” Septembe
Page 65 and 66: Antonio’s relatives believe that
Page 67 and 68: cops came on a motorbike. The unifo
Page 69 and 70: locked off the area and told the fa
Page 71 and 72: thereafter, gunshots rang out, and
Page 73 and 74: Virgilio Mirano, September 27 Baran
Page 75 and 76: Jury Jana, October 4 Baragay 120, C
Page 77 and 78: At about 11 p.m. on October 4, Visd
Page 79 and 80: the police. 218 On October 20, the
Page 81 and 82: ody. They covered the body with a b
Page 83 and 84: Heart de Chavez, January 10; “Joa
Page 85 and 86: killings. The police report states
Page 87 and 88: III. Prohibition of Extrajudicial E
Page 89 and 90: Philippine Law The Philippine Const
Page 91 and 92: y the physical perpetrators needs t
Page 93 and 94: Unlike war crimes, crimes against h
Page 95 and 96: If I became president, you all shou
Page 97 and 98: etter believe me.” 296 Duterte to
Page 99 and 100: On September 20, Duterte responded
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noted, since Duterte has taken offi
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Promised Immunity to Subordinate Co
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V. International Response to Dutert
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Duterte responded: “Why are you s
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Shortly after the November election
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agree to be together or not, whethe
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Ahead of Duterte’s state visit to
Page 115 and 116:
statement, stating, “Please formu
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suspected drug dealers and drug use
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The International Criminal Court In
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• End the criminalization of the
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To the Department of Health • Enc
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• Consider reviewing the Philippi
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Annex I: Excerpts from Police Repor
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direction of the approaching lawmen
Page 131 and 132:
Napoleon Miras Ai-Ai, alias “Nono
Page 133 and 134:
Garry Catungal, alias “Opay,” o
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“License to Kill”

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