3 cops in woman’s kidnap-slay face ax
Three policemen, tagged in the kidnap and murder of a real estate agent whose body was stuffed in a drum found floating in the Pasig River, are facing summary dismissal proceedings, a police official said yesterday.
National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Joel Pagdilao vowed to give Inspector Eljie Jacobe and Police Officers 1 Mark Jay de los Santos and Edmon Gonzales the boot.
He said he directed Senior Superintendent Ronald Mendoza, chief of the NCRPO’s regional investigation and detective management division, to immediately assign a hearing officer to hear the pre-charge investigation against Jacobe, De los Santos and Gonzales.
“All in all, the process for the dismissal of the three policemen would take a minimum of 60 days,” Pagdilao said in an interview.
“We don’t like these three erring policemen to stay a minute longer in the police service,” he added, stressing that the NCRPO is recruiting at least 7,000 police officers this year alone.
Jacobe, De los Santos and Gonzales, all assigned at the regional public safety battalion; former Bureau of Corrections officer Domingo Balanquit and Empire Salas were rounded up by agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for kidnapping and killing real estate agent Adora Lazatin, 56.
Jacobe and De los Santos were arrested while trying to withdraw P50,000 from Lazatin’s account at an automated teller machine in Bicutan, Taguig City Saturday.
Gonzales, Balanquit and Salas were collared during follow-up operations by the NBI.
Investigation showed that the group lured Lazatin to a meeting at a mall in Las Piñas City by pretending to be interested in buying a house and lot from her.
Seeking justice
Members of Lazatin’s family are crying out for justice, calling for her killers to be locked up.
Her son, Ryan, said he was with his mother on the morning of April 4 when she received a message from a prospective buyer, whom she was supposed to meet at the mall.
“My mom would usually go out every now and then to meet some prospective buyers but we never thought something tragic would happen that day,” he told The STAR.
After failing to contact his mother several hours after she left for the meeting, Ryan said he started calling her friends.
He said he felt ill when he received a text message from one of his mother’s mobile phones, telling him not to worry because she was out shopping. “I had a strong feeling that it was not my mother texting me,” Ryan said.
The next day, Lazatin’s remains were found in a drum floating in the Pasig River. Her head, hands and feet were wrapped with packaging tape and a length of nylon cord was coiled around her neck.
Neighbors
Ryan said he barely knows Jacobe, who lives at least 200 meters away from their house in Molino, Cavite. He said the policeman moved to the area four months after they transferred.
He said it was possible Jacobe learned that his mother had money because she had just sold one of their properties.
Jacobe admitted to taking Lazatin to a safehouse, taking her ATM card and forcing her to reveal its personal identification number, then taking her to another safehouse to strangle her. A Manila Police District official told The
STAR that Jacobe was his batchmate and that the suspect and another policeman were reportedly involved in illegal drugs.
Ryan said they will bury his mother then focus on their quest for justice.
Other victims?
The NBI is looking into the possibility that Lazatin may not be the only victim of Jacobe and his group.
NBI agents confiscated P200,000 cash; Lazatin’s debit cards and mobile phones; guns and a map, apparently showing the location of their next target, in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City, an agent said.
NBI head agent Manuel Eduarte said the agency has yet to verify this.
He said some complaints filed with the NBI show the same modus operandi, but there is “no evidence linking these complaints to these suspects.”
All five men were charged with kidnapping with homicide and violation of the access devices law before the Las Piñas prosecutor’s office. –