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Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Police deny after-jail-release massacre
By Jovy S. Taghoy and Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- Police Regional Office 7 Director Ronald Roderos dismissed speculations that police were behind the recent killings of detainees released on bail.
Roderos said policemen have no motive to kill them. He said they do not even know when these detainees are released.
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"We really do not know if they post bail or not. We are not informed when they do," Roderos told Sun.Star Cebu Tuesday.
Following the killing of robbery suspect Recolly Igoy in Minglanilla and last Monday's ambush, observers are wondering if summary executions are back. There are also some commentators who have raised the idea that police are behind the attacks.
But Roderos said there was no evidence to back this up.
Text messages
He also pointed out that the Cebu City Police, led by Senior Superintendent Patrocinio Comendador, managed to retrieve a cellular phone with threatening text messages sent to one of the victims of Monday's killing.
"It appears they swindled their companions in the syndicate," Roderos said.
Comendador said investigators are looking into four angles in Monday's ambush that killed suspected swindlers Jose Magno and his wife, Evelyn, and Medase Castro. One of the possibilities they are considering is that the attack was a case of vigilantism.
Since December 2004, 181 people have been summarily executed in Cebu City.
Among the other angles police are looking into are conflict among syndicate members, disagreement over the division of loot and vengeance by victims.
But Comendador said they have strong reasons to believe the three were killed by their accomplices over a disagreement on the distribution of loot because of the text messages retrieved by the Theft and Robbery Section from the SIM pack of Jose's phone.
Comendador said the text messages talked about killing, revenge, frustration and were probably sent by their accomplices in the swindling group. He distributed transcribed copies of the messages to reporters Tuesday.
"Hi, kumusta hurot na ang inyong kita? Grabeha gyud ninyo nakailad karma ra ang inyo naghulat C. Satanas mga demonyo mong dagko may adlaw ra mo tanan mahurot mo kamatay wa matulog ang ginuo I hope mahitabo sa inyo mga anak inyo gibuhat, pag hapihapi mo hapit na inyo oras, padung namo sementeryo tanan andam nlang mo daan (Have you spent everything already? You fooled a lot of people. You'll have your due soon. You're evil. You'll all be killed. Enjoy while you can, you'll be killed. Everything has been set)," said a text message sent on April 30.
Comendador, together with Homicide Section Chief Mario Monilar and Theft and Robbery Section Chief Michael Anthony Bastes, appealed during a news conference yesterday for witnesses to come out and help police in identifying the killers.
Comendador said the Homicide Section, which is the lead section in the investigation on the attack, is still trying to find a witness to the crime. He said someone saw the killing but the person was about 100 meters away.
Security escorts
When asked why police failed to secure suspected criminals who post bail or those who walk out of jail, Comendador said this is because they have lost jurisdiction over the person.
Comendador, however, said the city police is willing to provide security escorts to suspected criminals who feel that there lives are threatened. This, however, will be done on a case-to-case basis and depending on the availability of police personnel.
Based on the latest information that reached Bastes, Evelyn was arrested in Bais City, Oriental Negros for swindling. She, however, identified herself as Ann P. Espada, 36, of P. del Rosario St., Cebu City during her arrest.
Bastes said the information confirmed their earlier suspicion that Evelyn was involved in the modus operandi.
As of Tuesday, no relatives showed up to claim the bodies of Jose and Evelyn at St. Francis Funeral Homes as well as that of Castro, whose body remains at the morgue of the Perpetual Succour Hospital.
Attack
Both Jose and Evelyn died on the spot when hooded men attacked the white Hyundai van (GPZ 457) driven by retired Master Sgt. Henry Comandao past 5 p.m., Monday, in Barangay Kalunasan. Comandao has been cleared of any involvement with the group.
Castro died before reaching Perpetual Succour Hospital. The three suspected swindlers died of multiple gunshot wounds mostly in the head.
Roderos said there is no pattern in the incidents in Minglanilla and Kalunasan because these were different cases.
He pointed out that there was no link between Igoy and the three persons killed in Barangay Kalunasan.
As for the two other deaths that occurred after the victims posted bail, he said these were last year yet.
Roderos expressed confidence in the investigators of the Cebu City Homicide Section, saying they were known for their professionalism in handling cases.
As for the victims of the budol-budol gang, Roderos said greed was often the reason they get duped in the first place.
He warned the public against believing in scams that sound too good to be true so they do not end up losing their money to such gangs. (Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cebu. (May 14, 2008 issue)
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