MANILA (UCAN): Retired Phlippine Army corporal, Winston Ragos who was killed by a policeman near a quarantine checkpoint in Quezon City on April 21, was given military honours at the Army Mortuary in the Libingan ng mga Bayani shortly after midnight on Saturday, April 25, a day before his burial, the Inquirer reported on April 26.
Ragos, who was suffering form Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, was shot by police at a Covid-19 lockdown checkpoint in Quezon City, Metro Manila, after he reportedly approached them.
The 34-year-old former soldier died after he was shot twice at a checkpoint on April 21.
The incident was captured on CCTV.
Police claimed Ragos tried to draw a gun after he was accosted for violating quarantine but have been accused of using excessive force.
The police action comes 20-days after Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, controversially told police to shoot lockdown violators, if found to be causing trouble (Sunday Examiner, April 12).
The dead man’s neighbours claimed he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder, having seen action during the five-month siege to defeat Islamic State-inspired Muslim militants who occupied the southern Philippine city of Marawi in 2017.
According to police, Ragos “approached … and started shouting and uttering intimidating words” at a group of policemen at the checkpoint and refused to go home when ordered to.
Ragos identified himself as a former soldier and reportedly told police he would not follow their orders. He was also carrying a bag which police later claimed contained a .38 calibre handgun.
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The video footage showed police shouting at Ragos to raise his arms in the air, but Ragos turned to face them while appearing to be reaching for something in his bag. At this point, a policeman fired two shots at Ragos, who threw the bag at the police before falling to the ground.
He was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead, according to police, who later admitted Ragos had psychological issues, adding that the officer had felt threatened.
“We can say that what he (the officer) did was make a judgment call. But we will investigate the incident,” Quezon City police chief, Ronnie Montejo, said.
Police immediately faced accusations from rights groups and the dead man’s family of violating arrest protocols.
“They should have frisked him first, or at most shot him in his leg. He wasn’t thinking right, and he was not armed,” Ragos’ mother told the media.
The country’s human rights commission said it was investigating the incident.
“We stress since the start of the implementation of quarantines and lockdowns that law enforcers must always remain respectful of human rights, even in the face of a national health emergency,” Commission on Human Rights spokespersdon, Jacqueline Ann de Guia, was quoted by the Manila Bulletin website as saying.
Meanwhile, the Our Lady of the Poor parish in the Diocese of Pasig announced it would livestream catechism classes starting on April 23.
“Since we have so much time on our hands. I thought, why not make our enhanced community quarantine (lockdown) more worthwhile?” parish priest, Father Mark Emman Sese, said.
As of April 26, the Philippines had recorded 7,294 cases with 494 deaths, while 792 have recovered.
