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Friday, May 23, 2003
PNP chief orders quick solution of judge slay
By Harley F. Palangchao
PNP Director-General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. ordered Thursday the Cordillera police to immediately solve the May 17 murder of an Apayao municipal circuit judge.
During his meeting with officials of the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC) in Kalinga, Ebdane also pressured the Apayao Provincial Police Office to cause the immediate arrest of the still unidentified assassins, who gunned down Judge Pinera Biden of the Kabugao-Conner Municipal Circuit Trial Court point blank.
Biden died after sustaining seven gunshot wounds on his back. No one has been arrested yet five days after the incident.
Baguio Mayor Bernardo Vergara, RPOC chair, said in a telephone interview that during a brief command conference with Ebdane, Chief Supt. Victor Luga, PRO-CAR director, informed the former that the police are still conducting an in-depth investigation on at least three angles to uncover the motive behind the judge's brutal murder.
Vergara refused to mention the three angles but he confirmed earlier reports that the police are looking into the reported long-time legal conflict between the judge and a prominent family in Kabugao town, where the judge was killed.
Earlier reports revealed that the legal conflict between Biden and the Tapiru's of Kabugao started when the judge allegedly caused the arbitrary detention of Richard Tapiru, who belongs to a prominent family.
The judge was fined by the Supreme Court in the amount of P3, 000 for "simple act of impropriety, simple act of misdemeanor and gross ignorance of the law" in year 2000 in relation to Tapiru's arbitrary detention.
Meanwhile, reports said Luga reiterated his tough orders for local police to strengthen their campaign on the seizure of loose firearms and arrest of wanted persons in line with his determined attempt to lower incidents of crimes against persons in the countryside.
Police theorized that wanted criminals have had a hand in the brutal killing of the judge. Luga also ordered the police to double their efforts in neutralizing syndicated groups.
(May 23, 2003 issue)
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