Police find new leads in Balao abduction
-A A +AThursday, October 25, 2012
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Provincial Police Director Benjamin Lusad said there are new developments in the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Balao.
Lusad said there are three new composite facial photos of the possible culprits in the Balao case adding to the previous two the police have at hand.
The composite sketches were based on eyewitness accounts and pencil drawings by the police which were entered into the crime laboratory computer database to be enhanced.
The three new composite sketches have more details and are clearer, giving police new leads to the alleged abduction of Balao.
Lusad said there is also a new sworn statement from another witness which has likewise shed new light on the investigation.
Lusad when he assumed office headed the second Special Investigation Task Group (STIG) Balao which was formed in 2008; months after the abduction “[The police] are doing our best to make the case move.”
Balao has been missing since September 17, 2008 when alleged state security forces forcibly took him in La Trinidad. Since then, there has been a massive clamor from various groups to surface him which have not happened to this day.
Lusad said the Balao case is among priorities of his leadership.
Balao is a founding member of the Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance and among the members of the Cordillera Consultative Committee who facilitated the establishment of the CPA in 1984.
Balao is a native of Benguet and belongs to the Kankanaey-Ibaloi tribes. Before his abduction he was the president of the Oclupan Clan Association.
Lusad said the police are now establishing tracks from the time of the alleged abduction of Balao, gathering evidence from eye witnesses and adding the new information acquired, vehicles used in the abduction are also being checked and verified.
Lusad said the investigation will now go on a link analysis to collate all evidence and form a cohesive story and timeline.
However, the police chief said determining the whereabouts of Balao has not yet been determined. It has been 4 years since the disappearance.
Published in the Sun.Star Baguio newspaper on October 25, 2012.
Local news
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