Department of Justice (DoJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the spate of killings of local executives to determine if they are related to the reported destabilization plot against the government.
Guevarra said he has directed the NBI to conduct a fact-finding probe on the killing last Saturday of Trece Martires City Vice Mayor Alex Lubigan.
Lubigan was the third local executive murdered in just a week. Tanauan City Mayor was killed while attending a flag ceremony with his constituents while Mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija, was ambushed in Cabanatuan City.
“I have instructed NBI Director Dante Guerran to determine if there is a pattern in these three cases or if they were unrelated,” Guevarra told journalists covering the DoJ.
“We need immediate results, and the NBI should look into the possibility of a bigger scheme in these killings – to destabilize the government,” he stressed.
Earlier, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque had said that the successive murders of Halili and Bote could be perpetrated by certain groups to “erode confidence in the President.”
“We continue to adhere to the rule of law and consider the recent killings of high-profile figures as an attempt to erode confidence in the President, whose main platform of governance rests on fighting crimes,” Roque said.
Also the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) claimed that communist rebels have plans to oust President Duterte based on documents recovered by soldiers and confirmed by testimonies of communist rebels who have surrendered.
But Guevarra said “the NBI should look into all possible angles because we have to leave no stones unturned.”
Meantime, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Oscar Albayalde rejected calls to provide additional police security to mayors and vice mayors in the country.
“We are still investigating the incident as to the motive of the killings of local officials. There are many angles that police are investigating in the recent killings like political motive, drugs and other angles,” Albayalde said in an interview at the sidelines of the turn-over ceremony for the new regional director of Police Regional Office 5 (PRO 5) at Camp Gen. Simeon Ola last weekend.
“We don’t need to be afraid or worry of as these were all not systematic and patterned,” he added.
Albayalde said the PNP provides at least two police personnel to mayors and vice mayors, stressing that they cannot give them as the police force might run out of officers.
He also urged local officials to hire additional personnel from security agencies if they think their life is in danger.
But Cabiao, Nueva Ecija Mayor Ramil Rivera sees a need to tighten up security among municipal and city officials in the country.
“The current pair of policemen assigned to mayors should be increased to at least 6 personnel to ensure their safeguard from harm,” said Rivera who has survived to ambush tries in 2016.
Rivera, who revealed that he is still receiving numerous death threats until now, said that he will bring the matter in the next League of Municipalities of the Philippines – Nueva Ecija (LMP-NE) meeting to urge the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) which has the administrative control over the Philippine National Police for an additional police personnel to provide security protections for municipal and city officials. (With reports from the Philippine News Agency and Ariel P. Avendaño)
-REY G. PANALIGAN