Court of Appeals Orders Philippine National Police to Release Final Reports on 2016 Quezon City Killings

The Court of Appeals has mandated the Philippine National Police to adhere to a 2017 Supreme Court directive, requiring the submission of final investigation reports concerning the deaths of four men during a 2016 police operation in Quezon City. This operation was part of the early stages of the previous government’s Oplan Tokhang initiative. The directive, outlined in a six-page resolution dated January 3, follows a writ of amparo issued by the Supreme Court to protect Efren Morillo, the sole survivor of the incident. The resolution instructs the PNP’s Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to confirm the status of the investigation and to provide the court and the petitioners with the final report within ten days of notification. If the investigation remains incomplete, the PNP is still required to submit the most recent reports and related documents from the past eight years within the same timeframe. The victims, Raffy Gabo, Anthony Comendo, Marcelo Daa Jr., and Jessie Cule, were killed in Barangay Bagong Silangan on August 21, 2016. Morillo, who survived a chest wound, secured a writ of amparo from the Supreme Court, which also issued a permanent protection order against four police officers, restricting their proximity to the residences and workplaces of Morillo and the victims’ families. The Supreme Court further mandated the reassignment of these officers outside Quezon City and Montalban, Rizal, and suspended Oplan Tokhang operations concerning the petitioners. Morillo, under the protection of the Commission on Human Rights, has sought access to the investigation reports and any charges filed against the involved officers. The petitioners have also requested the complete and final investigation results from the Supreme Court. The Court of Appeals criticized the initial 2017 report from the PNP as insufficient in detailing the events of August 21, 2016, and the subsequent actions taken against the implicated officers.