PNP News Releases 2006

CALDERON ORDERS SPEEDY PROBE OF BISHOP'S SLAY

PNP Chief, Director General Oscar C Calderon has ordered the fielding of a team of investigators from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to hasten solution of the slaying last Tuesday of Aglipayan Bishop Alberto Ramento in Tarlac City.

Calderon said he wants a thorough investigation of the slay case backed by air-tight forensic evidence to pin down the suspects who are now the subjects of a province-wide manhunt by intelligence operatives and tracker teams led by Tarlac Provincial Director, Senior Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome.

"To end all speculations into the death of Bishop Ramento, a well-coordinated effort is underway to account for the suspects, and we expect to make arrests very soon," Calderon said.

The Chief PNP, meantime, censured the CPP/NPA and its legal front organizations for their knee-jerk reaction of blaming government for the death of Bishop Ramento.

"It is unfortunate that communist propaganda is attempting to muddle the investigation. But, our investigators are keeping their focus on solving the case," Calderon said.

According to Bartolome, probers are pursuing leads provided by informants from which the identities of at least three suspects surfaced.

Bartolome said the three are the same suspects whom church officials identified as behind two earlier break-ins at the residence of Bishop Ramento last September 11 and September 23.

"We found out that Bishop Ramento's residence was burglarized twice last month but this was reported only to barangay authorities and no further investigation was conducted," Bartolome said.

Some valuable items were reportedly stolen during the first two burglary incidents including cash, cellphones, DVD players, and other items.

According to the investigator on case and Scene of Crime Operations (SOCO) examiners, the victim died of multiple stab wounds in different parts of the body apparently with the use of a six-inch kitchen knife that was recovered at the crime scene.

The SOCO investigators also recovered the wallet of the victim emptied of its contents. The church' office was also in disarray, but the parish staff are still making an inventory to determine what other items were stolen. Investigators have established that the suspects gained entry to the bishop's residence thru the back door.

The entire crime scene has been cordoned-off to preserve vital evidence for laboratory analysis.