Cop not among agent’s ‘killers’
As unverified reports linking a cop to the killing of senior agent Von Rian Tecson of Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-7 spread like wildfire, police yesterday stepped in to say there were no truths to such claims.
According to unverified reports that Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña relayed to reporters on Thursday, among the assailants was a policeman, who was later identified as a certain SPO1 Roderick Balili.
But Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, director of Police Regional Office-7, denied this yesterday.
“First, there were unconfirmed and unverified reports regarding sa nangyari kay agent Tecson. There is no such thing as police na namatay, there was just a commotion,” he said.
When he was ambushed Wednesday noon, Tecson allegedly managed to shoot and wound his assailant, who was quickly taken by his companions into a getaway maroon Pajero that sped off towards the direction of Cebu City. Tecson died at the crime scene in Perrelos, Carcar City.
Sinas explained that Balili got wounded not courtesy of Tecson but of a colleague from the Regional Special Operations Group (RSOG) who accidentally shot him while they were conducting surveillance in the mountainous area of Pinamungajan town, western Cebu.
Pinamungajan is roughly 32 kilometers away from Carcar where Tecson was ambushed.
According to Sinas, the RSOG team was onboard a white Toyota Altis that afternoon and went past a road hump while a colleague of Balili was passing a service firearm over to him. The car movement that resulted from the hump allegedly discharged the gun, which hit Balili.
Balili was taken to a hospital in the City of Naga. Asked where he was shot, police could not disclose the specific location since doctors have “not released a report yet.”
Sinas said Balili was later taken to a hospital in Cebu City and underwent blood transfusion and has been declared to be in a stable condition.
“He is alive. But because of the series of reports, we are protecting him. There are bad reports na hindi na namo siya puwede ipakuan (present)… Before we could conduct investigation, there were so many opinions that came out which were beyond us, ang hirap sagutin, kaya we are presenting the facts we have,” he said.
Sinas added that a separate investigation into the accidental firing will be done by Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division led by Senior Superintendent Julius Gornez.
The identities of the two other cops are still withheld while they are on hold at the RSOG office prior to the filing of administrative charges and imposition of appropriate sanctions.
Sinas said he will initially file admin charges against the driver for negligence.
Senior Supt. Remos Medina, chief of the Regional Intelligence Division (RID), disclosed that the three cops were doing surveillance operations against a supposed rogue cop identified as Baselio Nilo Quirante, considered a high-value target.
Quirante was reportedly spotted in Pinamungajan.
Medina also said he might let Balili speak with reporters after he is discharged and has fully recovered.
Asked about the information received by Osmeña that linked a cop to Tecson's killing, Sinas said: “I will not confirm or deny the statement of the mayor.”
Sinas also said he could not speculate further as to the motive behind the slay of PDEA agents and whether or not they are linked in some ways.
The PRO-7 chief, who was in Manila on Thursday, also said Philippine National Police DirectorGeneral Oscar Albayalde has directed local police to solve the recent spate of killings in Cebu by presenting facts and not basing on speculations.
“He has informed us to present facts of the investigation and not base anything on speculations,” he said.
Sinas said that even with recent backlash and pressure from local chief executives and several other sectors of the community regarding killings, which have sowed public distrust on police, police are still high on morale.
“I don't think we should be affected. It is part of our day job to prove and investigate, and what happened with Tecson has not affected our morale,” he said.
This is not the first time Sinas defended the police from allegations they were involved in the killings.
Last July 30, PO3 Eugene Calumba was shot dead by the driver of Tejero, Cebu City councilman Jessielou Cadungog in a case some quarters have dubbed as a “botched assassination plot.”
Sinas explained Calumba and his driver were in the area to conduct surveillance.