MANILA, Philippines — The director and three other police officials in Negros Oriental were removed from their posts yesterday in connection with law enforcement operations that resulted in the killing of 14 people on Saturday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde ordered the relief of Col. Raul Tacaca, Negros Oriental police director; Lt. Col. Patricio Degay, Canlaon police chief; Lt. Col. Kevin Roy Mamaradlo, Manjuyod police chief, and Capt. Michael Rubia, Sta. Catalina police chief.

Eight persons were killed in Canlaon City, four in Manjuyod and two in Sta. Catalina. Eight of the fatalities were farmers.

Albayalde said the relief of the police officials is aimed at ensuring an impartial investigation amid allegations of a rubout by militant groups and the families of the fatalities.

“Their relief is not a punitive measure for alleged action or inaction... It is an administrative relief to ensure that they will not be able to exert any influence in the ongoing invesigation,” Albayalde said.

The PNP chief directed the Internal Affairs Service and Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management to conduct an investigation of the police operations.

Albayalde had earlier defended the police officers who took part in the operations, saying the wounding of a police officer is proof that there was a firefight.

Best legal defense

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) also stood by the police officers and vowed to provide them the “best legal defense.”

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said the police operations were based on search warrants and aboveboard.

“How can they say there was a massacre when 12 other suspects were arrested?” Año asked.

He said he would not hesitate to punish the police officers if proven that they did not follow the rules of engagement.

The DILG chief appealed to the public not to condemn the police for the incident.

“Hindi po ang pulis ang kontrabida dito. Ginagawa lang nila ang kanilang trabaho para sugpuin ang krimen at panatiliin ang kapayapaan sa ating komunidad,” Año said.

Meanwhile, members of various militant groups staged a rally in front of Camp Crame yesterday in protest of the killings.

Raps vs cops

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said they would file charges against concerned police officers.

“We are here to register our condemnation of the massacre of unarmed farmers,” he told reporters.

Migrante International joined calls for a thorough probe into the killing.

“The Duterte administration’s response to the... outcry of peasants and farmers... for genuine agrarian reform and... extreme poverty and landlessness has been an increase in ... militarization of their communities,” Migrante said in a statement.

The group said farmers on Negros island are being targeted, noting that 40 of them were recently killed. – With Mayen Jaymalin