(Eagle News) — The chief of police of Rodriguez, Rizal and 19 other police officers were ordered relieved of their duties as the Philippine National Police probed the death of a three-year old girl who died during a crossfire between police and drug suspects.
The victim, Kateleen Myka Ulpina, is the daughter of drug suspect Renato Ulpina who allegedly used the girl as a “human shield” during the firefight, according to the police. The suspect’s relatives, however denied this.
PNP National Police Chief Police General Oscar Albayalde said he had already directed Calabarzon regional police director Edward Carranza to implement the relief order on the Rodriguez policemen.
They were also asked to surrender their service firearms for forensic examination.
Aside from the Rodriguez chief of police, those ordered relieved from duty were 14 personnel from the Rodriguez Rizal Police Office and six from the Provincial Intelligence Branch of Rizal.
Four persons were killed during the June 29 police operation. They were Ulpina, his daughter Myka, another unidentified suspect, and police Senior Master Sergeant Conrad Cabigao.
He said that Cabigao, who acted as the poseur buyer in the drug buy-bust, also left behind two young daughters, aged 7 and 12.
“We have to look at this on both ways. The suspect kung alam niya [that] (if he knew) he has a child there inside, he should have surrendered. If you have your family inside the house, why not just surrender voluntarily and peacefully?” Albayalde said in an interview with CNN Philippines.
“Remember, Sgt. Cabigao died also and he left two children. They are still very young. Even the PNP lost lives here,” he said.
Calabarzon Police Chief Edward Carranza said Cabigao only returned fire to defend himself after the suspect allegedly shot him.
Both Cabigao and Myka were brought to the hospital after the incident to try to save them. Both, however, did not survive.
