The Office of the Ombudsman has dismissed the murder charges against 16 Batasan policemen involved in the killing of five men, including a minor, in a 2016 buy-bust operation in Payatas, Quezon City. The third complainant, Polo, had meanwhile filed an affidavit of desistance a month before the Ombudsman resolution, saying she was not present during the incident. While the Ombudsman resolution made no mention of Polo’s retraction, it dismissed Hamoy and Bordeos’ claims as mere hearsay, saying they had failed to discharge burden of proof. Hamoy’s daughter, Doris, told the Inquirer that they knew about the Ombudsman resolution only when it was delivered via post to their house on Tuesday. Police claimed Hamoy had yielded two sachets of “shabu” (crystal meth).

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 28, 2018 21:05 UTC