She may disagree with the court’s decision to convict SPO1 Adonis Dumpit with homicide instead of murder, but judging from Janeth Badana’s parting words to her dead son, Ronron Go, she’s about ready to let it go.
“Dong, akong gibuhat ang tanan. Saka na sa langit. Whether kontento ka sa desisyon or dili, naay Ginoo nga nasayod sa tanan. Ayaw na pag-worry ni mama. (Son, I have done everything. Go on to heaven. Whether you’re contented with the ruling or not, we have a God who knows everything),”
Badana was overheard saying at Ronron’s grave at the Carreta public cemetery.
A decade of waiting for the court’s verdict on the liability of a policeman for killing her 17-year-old son can sap a mother’s will and faith in the country’s justice system.
She lacks the resources or support to wait out another decade of litigation of making sure that Dumpit would stay locked up in jail.
Who would blame the mother for withholding forgiveness from Dumpit, a police officer who enjoyed the patronage of a city mayor during his term and still benefits from the politician’s help through legal counsel.
His excuse that he acted in self-defense in shooting the young Ronron as a robbery suspect while responding to a call for help was rejected by the court.
The judge, however, ruled that the crime was a lesser offense of homicide, which gives room for Dumpit to post bail later and even aim for reinstatement to o active duty until a court rules with finality on his guilt.
But that’s is a long shot. The courts grind slowly in this country. In the meantime, Dumpit will still ponder life behind bars and whether he would take it easier on the trigger.
Senior Supt. Edward Carranza of the Police Regional Office, said the arrest and conviction of Dumpit would motivate superiors to review the conduct of police operations so they won’t always end in the death of suspects.
While the court ruled that Dumpit didn’t resort to treachery and that the cop even warned Go to yield or else, it didn’t justify his actions.
The court ruling itself is a telling reminder for trigger-happy police officers or gun owners that the weapons they use can do irreversible damage and have serious consequences.
“Law enforcers thrust their lives in unimaginable peril. Yet resorting to wanton violence is never justified when their duty could be performed otherwise.
The law does not clothe police officers with authority to arbitrarily judge the necessity to kill,” the judge wrote.
Whether Dumpit heeds this admonition or not, only time spent behind bars will tell.
What’s important is that law enforcers are duty bound to protect and serve, even if it means ensuring the safety of the accused and the rights of the accused to due process.
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