The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld the conviction of a police officer for planting evidence and the torture of teenagers Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” De Guzman in 2017.
In a 50-page decision, the CA Second Division affirmed with modifications the conviction of Caloocan cop Jefrey Perez in five cases.
“While this Court strongly supports the government’s efforts to maintain a peaceful and orderly society, this should not be at the expense of the utter disregard for the fundamental Constitutional rights which protect the innocent and the guilty-alike,” it said.
“Those who are supposed to enforce the law are not justified in disregarding the rights of the individuals in the name of order. Order is too high a price for the loss of liberty,” it added.
Arnaiz was killed by Caloocan police officers on August 18, 2017, with authorities saying he had staged a hold-up against a taxi driver.
De Guzman, Arnaiz’s friend, was later found dead with 30 stab wounds on his body in Gapan, Nueva Ecija, his head wrapped in packaging tape.
For the torture of Arnaiz, the CA convicted Perez to a minimum of six months to up to four years in prison. He was also directed to pay the family of Arnaiz P50,000 as moral damages and P50,000 as exemplary damages.
For the torture of De Guzman, he was sentenced to suffer the penalty of reclusion perpetua and to pay the family of De Guzman exemplary and moral damages amounting to P75,000 each.
Meanwhile, the CA also sentenced him to two terms of life imprisonment without eligibility of parole as well as perpetual disqualification from public office for planting drugs to implicate Arnaiz and De Guzman.
He was also sentenced to reclusion perpetua for planting a firearm near the body of Arnaiz.
In 2023, Navotas Regional Trial Court sentenced Perez to reclusion perpetua.
Meanwhile, the CA said that the cases of Arnaiz and De Guzman “highlight the harsh reality of police misconduct.”
“Kulot, a minor, and Carl, a promising young man, lost their futures due to a system that permits torture, murders, and the fraudulent planting of evidence. Their lives, stolen in violence, should not be forgotten,” it said.
However, the CA said that to achieve justice, the culture of impunity that enables such violations must be eradicated.
“The heartbreaking losses of their lives should act as a rallying cry for reforming law enforcement, enhancing judicial oversight, and ensuring that no further lives are claimed by those who are meant to protect,” the CA said.
The decision was promulgated on April 10, 2025.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
