General's name crops up in Halili slay
Published Jul 5, 2018 02:13 pm
By Aaron Recuenco and Lyka Manalo
The name of retired general has cropped up at the course of the investigation on the assassination of Tanauan City (Batangas) Mayor Antonio Halili, who was gunned down Monday during a flag-raising ceremony at the city hall.
PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde (Kevin Tristan Espiritu / MANILA BULLETIN)
Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), confirmed that the local investigation task group has come across with a high-ranking retired security official but would not provide details since such general is not yet even considered as person of interest.
“That’s one of the angles they are looking into. That’s one motive,” said Albayalde.
Quoting results of the initial investigation, Albayalde said it turned out that Mayor Halili has crossed paths with the retired general regarding the slain official’s business of buy and sell of huge parcel of land in Batangas.
Albayalde said the clash between Halili and the retired general happened a long time ago but the dispute remains unsettled.
The official said he does not personally know the retired general, adding that it was the first time he heard of the name.
“The motive with regard to him is land dispute. It happened long before the shooting,” said Albayalde.
“But he is not necessarily a person of interest because we have a lot of motive being looked into,” he added.
Aside from the land-related dispute, two other main angles being investigated are the local politics and his shame campaign on arrested drug personalities whom he would parade in public places in Tanauan City.
76.8 meters away
Meanwhile, Halili was killed from a distance of 76.8 meters by an ordinary marksman knowledgeable in long firearms, a top police officials said Thursday.
Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza, Calabrazon Regional Police Office director, said that if the gunman was a skilled sniper, he would have shot Halili in the head.
The distance between the mayor and the gunman was established using a range finder, Carranza said.
“Based on the trajectory of the bullet, the gunman is higher than the position of the mayor,” Carranza added.
Carranza also disclosed that an empty shell of a 5.56-mm bullet was found a few meters from where the alleged position of the gunman was.
The empty shell will be cross-matched with the data in the integrated ballistic information system of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory.
“If the firearm used was a licensed firearm, ma-identify natin ang (we can identify the) owner. In the event na ang (that the) firearm ay wala sa database natin (is not in our database), that is another problem,” Carranza said.
He said a bullet's metal jacket found in Halili's body during autopsy was also from a 5.56 mm.
There was only one gunshot heard in the video footage before the indiscriminate firing of Halili's security aides.
Carranza also said they are still verifying the ownership of two vehicles allegedly seen near the city hall that might have been used as getaway cars.
Three persons of interest with links to illegal drug operations are being investigated by the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG), according to Carranza.
The regional police director revealed that illegal drug activities are rampant in the city.
"We have also reports that there are personalities involved," said Carranza who did not elaborate.
"I've been always telling this to barangay captains, if there are proliferation of drugs in the barangay, I do not believe that the barangay captain doesn't know, maybe he's not into it but he knows who are these people involved in illegal drugs and if you are really functioning as a local government official I think its inherent for them to stop this," Carranza said.
Halili was included in the drug watch list of the PNP in 2016 and was stripped of control and supervision of the local police.
Halili, known for parading drug suspects on the streets, denied the allegations.
Tanauan chief of police Supt. Renato Mercado said he pulled out the two police security aides of Halili last November. But he added that they continued to receive gas allowances to fund their operations and office supplies.
Carranza assured that there will be no white wash in the police investigation. "Pagsinabimokasi white wash, that's your own perception, kung ano turn out ng evidence, hindi naman tayo rito based on opinion, tingnan natin yung mga physical evidences that can come up with the solution of the crime," Carranza said. (With a report from Danny Estacio)
PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde (Kevin Tristan Espiritu / MANILA BULLETIN)
Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), confirmed that the local investigation task group has come across with a high-ranking retired security official but would not provide details since such general is not yet even considered as person of interest.
“That’s one of the angles they are looking into. That’s one motive,” said Albayalde.
Quoting results of the initial investigation, Albayalde said it turned out that Mayor Halili has crossed paths with the retired general regarding the slain official’s business of buy and sell of huge parcel of land in Batangas.
Albayalde said the clash between Halili and the retired general happened a long time ago but the dispute remains unsettled.
The official said he does not personally know the retired general, adding that it was the first time he heard of the name.
“The motive with regard to him is land dispute. It happened long before the shooting,” said Albayalde.
“But he is not necessarily a person of interest because we have a lot of motive being looked into,” he added.
Aside from the land-related dispute, two other main angles being investigated are the local politics and his shame campaign on arrested drug personalities whom he would parade in public places in Tanauan City.
76.8 meters away
Meanwhile, Halili was killed from a distance of 76.8 meters by an ordinary marksman knowledgeable in long firearms, a top police officials said Thursday.
Chief Superintendent Edward Carranza, Calabrazon Regional Police Office director, said that if the gunman was a skilled sniper, he would have shot Halili in the head.
The distance between the mayor and the gunman was established using a range finder, Carranza said.
“Based on the trajectory of the bullet, the gunman is higher than the position of the mayor,” Carranza added.
Carranza also disclosed that an empty shell of a 5.56-mm bullet was found a few meters from where the alleged position of the gunman was.
The empty shell will be cross-matched with the data in the integrated ballistic information system of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory.
“If the firearm used was a licensed firearm, ma-identify natin ang (we can identify the) owner. In the event na ang (that the) firearm ay wala sa database natin (is not in our database), that is another problem,” Carranza said.
He said a bullet's metal jacket found in Halili's body during autopsy was also from a 5.56 mm.
There was only one gunshot heard in the video footage before the indiscriminate firing of Halili's security aides.
Carranza also said they are still verifying the ownership of two vehicles allegedly seen near the city hall that might have been used as getaway cars.
Three persons of interest with links to illegal drug operations are being investigated by the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG), according to Carranza.
The regional police director revealed that illegal drug activities are rampant in the city.
"We have also reports that there are personalities involved," said Carranza who did not elaborate.
"I've been always telling this to barangay captains, if there are proliferation of drugs in the barangay, I do not believe that the barangay captain doesn't know, maybe he's not into it but he knows who are these people involved in illegal drugs and if you are really functioning as a local government official I think its inherent for them to stop this," Carranza said.
Halili was included in the drug watch list of the PNP in 2016 and was stripped of control and supervision of the local police.
Halili, known for parading drug suspects on the streets, denied the allegations.
Tanauan chief of police Supt. Renato Mercado said he pulled out the two police security aides of Halili last November. But he added that they continued to receive gas allowances to fund their operations and office supplies.
Carranza assured that there will be no white wash in the police investigation. "Pagsinabimokasi white wash, that's your own perception, kung ano turn out ng evidence, hindi naman tayo rito based on opinion, tingnan natin yung mga physical evidences that can come up with the solution of the crime," Carranza said. (With a report from Danny Estacio)