By Ronron
December 11, 2007
Cebu City - Four Tokyo-based Japanese policemen on Tuesday sought an update from police investigators here on the investigation on the killing of two Japanese businessmen in this city’s neighboring city of Mandaue in July and November this year.
The foreign investigators – three from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) and the remaining one from the National Police Agency (NPA) – were briefed here by officials the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Region 7, the Mandaue City Police Office (MCPO), and the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) on the status of the murder cases of Taro Suda last July 18 and of Hiroshi Kusaka last November 13, both in Mandaue City.
The briefing, which actually assured them of a close to solving the murder cases, especially that involving Suda, was given a day after a possible suspect to the two incidents was killed in Barangay Zapatera here while resisting police operatives out to search his house for possible illegal possession of firearms.
The Japanese contingent consists of Yuji Yawagisawa, Assistant Police Inspector at the Education and Training Division of the TMPD; Matsuura Teruhiko, Detective Assistant Inspector of the TMPD; Kai Shigetaka, Police Inspector of the TMPD; and, Tadashi Haimai, Detective Chief Inspector of the NPA’s International Investigative Operation Division.
They were escorted by two Japanese experts assigned with the Japan International Coordinating Agency (JICA) office in Camp Crame, Quezon City, and a CIDG officer also from Camp Crame.
“They’re here to coordinate with us because there were two Japanese nationals who were killed in Mandaue City and the latest one is November 13, Hiroshi Kusaka... We exchanged notes and we gave them what we collected,” CIDG Region 7 Chief Investigator Chief Insp. Rex Derilo told reporters after the briefing at his office inside the CCPO compound.
“They were actually here for the Kusaka case but we included Taro Suda’s case… We discussed how the incidents transpired, when, and the extent of our investigation, and even the developments of the case,” he added.
None of the Japanese contingent talked to the media after the briefing when sought for their statements.
But Derilo disclosed that so far, their Japanese counterparts were helpful as far as providing a picture of the victims’ “affiliations and friends.” He refused, however, to go into details, saying the new pieces of information will still be utilized in the investigation.
But Derilo categorically said that so far, any Japanese national has yet to surface in their probe as possible mastermind or conspirator in the killing of Suda and Kusaka.
“We will be discussing the technical aspect soon but as of now, what we need is their identification of other affiliation of these victims, the identities of the friends of these victims,” Derilo said of the assistance provided by the Japanese policemen.
“That’s just one of their contribution, but we need more from them. But as of now, we can move on even without them because the technical assistance will follow,” he added.
But after the briefing, which started past 9am until shortly past 11 am, the Japanese contingent were seen gathering more information from the scene of the crime operatives. They even inspected again the van that was carrying Kusaka at the time he was shot. The inspection lasted from 11:45 am until shortly past 1pm.
The contingent then proceeded to the crime scene in Mandaue City at around 2:30 pm.
They capped their day in an assessment meeting at the CIDG 7 office here.
Derilo said that during the briefing, they told the Japanese contingent that while they were focusing their probe on the Kusaka case, they arrived closer in solving the case of Suda.
He likened their investigation to “hitting two birds” at one time.
When asked if this means there could be a similar set of suspects in the Suda and Kusaka case, Derilo said: “Yeah, same group, same suspects. And in fact, after this, we will not be solving those cases only. We will be solving other unsolved cases too.”
Without citing details to avoid jeopardizing their investigation, Derilo explained his statement about getting closer in solving the Suda case by saying that they already have testimonies and physical evidence implicating some suspects.
These pieces of evidence, unfortunately, are what they do not have to implicate the same set of suspects on the Kusaka case, said Derilo.
“We already know the identities of these two murder incidents’ suspects but we can’t disclose to you who they are,” Derilo said.
Derilo said they are still investigating if Ramon Baclohan, who was killed inside his house in Zapatera village the other day, is really involved in the two Japanese murder cases. The same thing with Baclohan’s alleged companion, Aristotle Aves, who was arrested earlier on December 3 at the Mandaue City port.
Asked categorically if they already have leads to link Baclohan and Aves to the killing of Suda and Kusaka, Derilo only said: “I won’t disclose that. What I can say is we are in the right direction.”
Pressed if the raid against Baclohan’s house helped them become enlightened about the Kusaka and Suda cases, he said: “Actually, if I have to discuss in details, it will complicate our operation because one complication will affect the entire investigation. Not only one, two cases, but we will be solving more than that. So if we will do it in a haphazard manner, it will compromise our investigation and eventually, we can never arrest anyone behind these killings.”
But he pointed out that among the guns and ammunitions recovered from Baclohan’s residence, none apparently matches with the weapon used to kill Suda and Kusaka.
Without linking Baclohan and Aves to the killing of Suda and Kusaka, CCPO Director Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said the former has been tagged as alleged broker for gun-fore-hire operations in the city, which Aves and other suspects execute.
Aves is now detained at the Cebu City jail because of standing homicide cases./DMS
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