Despite “respecting” the acquittal of the lone survivor of a deadly antidrug operation in Quezon City (QC), Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said he would stick with the QC cops’ version of the story. Last Nov. 17, the QC Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 41 acquitted Harold Arevalo, who was accused of fighting back at members of the QC Police District’s Station 6 or Batasan station during a drug bust on August 15, 2016 in Barangay Payatas. Judge Analie Oga-Brual said the prosecution failed to support the charge of direct assault that Police Officers 2 Wilson Escuro and Herbert Angoluan filed against Arevalo. ADVERTISEMENTThe decision also pointed out that the prosecution “failed to positively show that Arevalo traded shots with the policemen who had killed his friends in a buybust operation.”Reacting to the court decision, Dela Rosa, in an ambush interview on Wednesday, said: “We respect the decision of the court.”“We have to stick with the version of the police,” he added. /jeREAD: Judge acquits lone survivor of drug raid that left 5 deadADVERTISEMENT

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer December 21, 2017 04:07 UTC