PNP News Releases 2006

PNP CONFIDENT OF BREAKTHROUGH IN PROBE OF SLAYS

The Philippine National Police today expressed confidence that it will be able to achieve significant breakthrough in the investigation of the remaining cases of slain militants and media personalities.

Acting on the guidance of President Arroyo, PNP Chief, Director General Oscar C Calderon, said investigators are exerting effort to get the cooperation of the victims' family and kin to come up with a clearer picture of each particular case.

Calderon said the PNP is also very supportive of the much wider investigation being done by the independent Melo Commission on cases of slain militants, activists and some journalists.

"The PNP, through the efforts of Task Force USIG under Deputy Director General Avelino Razon Jr. is working round-the-clock to insure that all ongoing investigations are moving, and all police investigators will be available to assist in the prosecution of cases that have been filed in court," Calderon said.

This developed as Calderon instructed Razon to closely supervise the investigation of a shooting incident in Vigan City , Ilocos Sur wherein Rev. Billy Austin of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines was wounded.

Calderon also issued similar orders to the PNP Regional Director in Cordillera, Chief Supt Raul Gonzales, in the case of Provincial Board Member James Bersamin who was gunned down at 5:15 AM on Saturday by two unidentified suspects in Bangued, Abra.

The Chief PNP also directed the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to assist the Saranggani Police Provincial Office in the investigation of the assassination of Mayor George Y Yabes of Maitum town at 1:45 PM Saturday.

Calderon also instructed the Regional Director of PRO-12, Chief Superintendent German Doria to provide technical support to the investigation.

Mayor Yabes was shot by two gunmen riding tandem on a motorbike infront ot the SOCCOTECO Electric Cooperative Compound.

He was declared dead on arrival by attending physicians at a hospital in nearby Kiamba municipality.

The mayor was reportedly making the rounds in his town along with two security aides when the incident happened.

Meanwhile, Razon clarified that based on records culled by Task Force USIG, there are only 136 cases of slain militants and journalists, of which 62 had been considered solved while the remaining 74 are still under investigation.

"The figure of 725 alleged victims of political killings announced by the human rights group Karapatan included even those cases that were not politically, motivated, not work-related, and wherein the victims were not members of any party list or militant group," Razon said.

Task Force USIG has identified some names of murder victims who are not supposed to be listed as victims of alleged political killings because these persons were either killed in legitimate encounters with government security forces, are not affiliated with political groups, and the circumstances surrounding their murder ar not politically-motivated.

Razon also cited the erroneous inclusion in the list prepared by the human rights group Karapatan that included some victims who were killed in land disputes, the 22 Abu Sayyaf members killed in the foiled jailbreak in Bicutan, journalists who were killed in non-work related circumstances, and some local govenrment officials who died of other causes.

"There was even an entry in the list of Karapatan wherein it included a certain Edwin Mascariñas of Southern Tagalog among those killed, but it turned out that the person is still very much alive," Razon said.

According to Razon, Task Force USIG is in the process of verifying 539 other names listed by Karapatan among the 725 alleged victims of political killlings. Initially, 374 of these persons were found as not affiliated with any political, party list, or militant organization.

"From all indications, there is an obvious effort to sensationalize the incidents of militant and journalist slays by deliberately bloating the figures and manipulating the facts," Razon said.