Seven police officers were relieved from their posts in connection with the deaths of drug suspects in alleged shootouts in Davao City after Mayor Sebastian Duterte declared a war on drugs in the city.

The administrative relief of the policemen came after PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. has ordered an investigation on the supposed armed encounters wherein seven drug suspects were killed in less than a week after Duterte’s declaration.

“Nagbigay na ng utos ang ating Chief PNP through the regional director para imbestigahan itong mga insidente na it at para bigyan daan ‘yung impartial investigation,” PNP public information officer Col. Jean Fajardo said in a news briefing at Camp Crame on Wednesday.

The PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) has also started its own probe into the killings, Fajardo said.

Davao region police director Brig. Gen. Alden Delvo said the seven policemen were disarmed and will be subjected to paraffin testing.

Delvo is not ruling out the possibility that more police officers will be relieved from their posts in the coming days.

“We will be investigating all personnel involved in the police operations,” he said in a test message.

The police officers must also explain why it was necessary for them to use their firearms in neutralizing the drug suspects.

The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has earlier expressed grave concern over Duterte’s statement which is patterned after his father, former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Fajardo said the PNP is open to an investigation by the CHR, stressing the police force will not hesitate to sanction the police officers who were found to have killed the drug suspects in cold blood.

She added even the policemen’s supervisors could also be held liable under the doctrine of command responsibility.

DMS