Drugs angle eyed in Caloocan assistant prosecutor’s murder

Caloocan Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan condemned yesterday the killing of Caloocan City Assistant Prosecutor Diosdado Azarcon last Monday in front of his rented house in the city as probers noted the possibility that drug syndicates might be behind his murder.

“We condemn this cowardly act of permanently silencing a prosecutor. If this has got something to do with his job of filing cases in court, this tragedy will not deter us to perform more diligent initiatives to capture criminals,” Malapitan said.

A 68-year-old neighbor of Azarcon on the street where he was renting a house said that the slain prosecutor and his family were living a modest and simple life

“He was a very kind man. He became a good neighbor to us. We never expected that such will happen to a very simple public servant,” the neighbor said.

Nolan Sison, Caloocan Public Information Office (PIO) head, said that Chief Prosecutor Ferdinand Balbuena told them in an anti-drug meeting that they were receiving death threats since March.

“We learned Balbuena that in March the prosecutor’s office in Caloocan was handling 155 drug cases. And in April, 170 drug cases,” Sison said. “He (Balbuena) told us that they received many death threats because they do not want to accept the bribes from nabbed drug personalities,” he added.

Councilor’s slay Meanwhile in Teresa, Rizal, police investigators said they were still facing a blank wall in the killing of Councilor John San Jose and his wife, Ma. Teresa Torres, also last Monday morning.

The couple had just left their house with their 20-year-old daughter, Jaydee Ansherina, to attend her graduation at the Rizal Technological University (RTU) when gunmen opened fire at their Mitsubishi Montero as it approached Sitio Uno Bridge in Barangay May Iba, Teresa. (With a report from Madelynne Dominguez)