Police find Halili slay a tough case to crack

The lack of witnesses is one of the reasons police investigators are making slow progress in the case of Tanauan City Mayor Antonio Halili, who was killed by a sniper last July 2.

Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), expounded on the reasons why the Halili case was taking so long to solve, compared to the quick work by police in the killing of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ferdinand Bote.

Unlike in the case of Bote, there is a dearth of witnesses that could identify either the gunmen or the getaway vehicle used in the killing of Halili.

Bote was shot dead on a busy highway in Cabanatuan City while Halili was killed by a gunman who hid in a grassy vacant lot fronting the Tanauan City Hall.

Albayalde said that in the case of Bote, investigators were able to talk to some of the witnesses when the shots were fired and when the gunmen and other suspects were fleeing the crime scene.

But the assassination of Halili was apparently well-planned, and the assailant was careful not to leave substantial clues, he said.

In the Bote case, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras allowed police to trace the escape route of the gunmen, Albayalde said.

“As a result, our police investigators were able to identify the vehicles used and even some of those who participated,” he said.

The video footage includes the actual shooting of the mayor and the moment the suspect’s vehicle entered the compound of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC).

In the case of Bote and even that of Fr. Richmond Nilo, the clues enabled the police to confront possible suspects who later confessed and began naming names.

In the case of Halili, the only clue was a spent shell for an armalite rifle that was recovered at the sniper’s nest, Albayalde said.

Other than that, there are no other leads that could help uncover the identity of the gunman, he said.

Investigators are relying on the interview of Halili’s family, which revealed that the mayor had a spat with a retired general over the sale of land in Batangas. Even that angle, however, is not that solid, Albayalde admitted.

He revealed however there is “a positive development on this case and we hope that this could also lead to the solving of the case.”

“We are also confident that the best practices that our police investigators did in the investigation on the case of Mayor Bote and that of Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan would help us crack the murder case of Mayor Halili,” he said.