By Ronron
May 17, 2007
Contrary to its earlier pronouncement that the New People’s Army (NPA) was behind the attack of a school in Batangas province last Tuesday that claimed the lives of a teacher and a poll watcher, the Philippine National Police (PNP) announced on Thursday that five policemen were behind the incident.
Chief Supt. Geary Barias, head of the PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM), told a news conference yesterday afternoon that five members of the Regional Special Operations Group of the Police Region IV-A have been placed on restrictive custody and were already disarmed as they were being investigated.
“They are now suspects in the burning incident in Taysan, Batangas. This is based on cartographic sketch that was produced by the investigation group under the task force created in Batangas, the Special Task Group Pinagbayanan that is under Sr. Supt. (Freddie) Panen (Batangas Police Director),” Barias said.
“We also have testimonial evidences linking them to this incident,” he added.
Barias released yesterday the artist’s sketch of three suspects, which was produced out of descriptions provided by survivors of the burning of the Pinagbayanan Elementary School in Taysan, Batangas at around 3am of May 15.
“Apparently, two of them were not using bonnets at that time that’s why they were identified,” Barias said. The other one, meanwhile, was just wearing a ball cap.
Barias said that since the five operate as a team, the two other companions of those three with artist’s sketch were easily identified.
Barias refused to identify the five pending the investigation against them, but disclosed that one of them is their team leader, with a rank of Inspector, while the rest are non-commissioned officers.
Asked if the five has links with any of the political leader in Taysan, Barias said: “Yes, they could be linked to Mayor (Hernando) Villena.”
Villena is seeking another mayoralty term and is being challenged by Victor Portugal, Jr.
“There are also reports, although these are being verified, that three days before the incident, they are already identified with the camp of Villena. Meaning, there are some activities that they were undertaking which could link them to Mayor Villena,” Barias said.
Asked why would Villena order a disruption of the counting process at the Pinagbayanan Elementary School when, according to the police in earlier interviews, he was leading against Portugal, Barias said: “That will be established in the investigation.”
In the canvassing at said school, Villena reportedly got more than 1,000 votes, as against Portugal’s 25, out of the 1,180 registered voters in Barangay Pinagbayanan. Taysan has a total of almost 19,000 registered voters.
“If that can be proven (that Villena has links with the five), then he will also be included in the case. We start first from the burning incident. Then, as we go on the investigation, proper action will be taken,” Barias said.
He said part of the investigation is to determine if the cops were offered money by Villena.
Barias said the five policemen could be charged administratively for grave misconduct, which is punishable by dismissal from the service, apart from the criminal charge of arson and murder.
“Whoever is involved in this should suffer the consequences because this is something that is so heinous. You do it to a teacher?” Barias said when asked of his sentiment about the involvement of uniformed men in the incident.
“Of course, we feel so very bad about this development. If they are guilty, they really should suffer the consequences, probably even maximum penalty,” he added.
Pending the investigation, the five will not be allowed to leave Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna, Barias said.
The NPA had lambasted the PNP, particularly its chief Director General Oscar Calderon, for accusing the movement of being responsible for the burning of the school.
“Even more likely, his intention is to protect the masterminds and perpetrators of this despicable crime, who may very well be military and police forces conniving with political warlords,” Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal said in a statement dated May 16, 2007.
Rosal said “the revolutionary forces condemn violence against innocent people,” and that “the NPA has nothing to gain from such an attack.”
“Such acts of violence can only be the desperate deeds of warlord politicos and their private armies in league with their mercenaries in the military and police,” he said.
Rosal said that once the culprits are identified, the NPA will “mete out revolutionary justice against” them.
Calderon had earlier said it is only the NPA that could have the motive for the attack since it happened already after the counting.
Asked yesterday if the police will now disregard the possible involvement of communist rebels in the attack following the identification of the five cops as possible suspects, Barias said: “Well, that was an initial consideration because of the remoteness of the area and the area is heavily infested by the NPA. We are now veering away from that angle, although we are not totally abandoning that theory.”
The 7,100-strong NPA has been waging guerilla warfare in the countryside in the last 38 years with the end goal of taking over the democratic form of government./DMS
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