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Sunday, February 08, 2004
No cover-up of cops in vendor's death: Montalba
By Jenefer Besere
THE death of Maranao vendor Jamalon Pagayawan inside the Integrated Bus Terminal in the public market in Agora, Lapasan may have something to do with the murder of PO1 Gemma Jatico of the Agora police precinct.
However, acting city police director Chief Insp. Antonio Montalba refused to comment on the alleged relationship of SPO1 Lonie Rementizo and Jatico.
Rementizo is suspected of killing Jamalon Pagayawan, who is also the president of the Christian-Muslim Agora Feedlers Association.
Pagayawan was killed inside the IBT in front of the Agora police precinct, a day before Jaticos' remains were about to be buried.
Jatico was stabbed by an unidentified suspect who took her motorcycle and personal belongings. Montalba said there is a team tasked to investigate and arrest the suspects in the murder.
Authorities already had a angle on the case but Montalba refused to give any information saying it won't be long before the suspect will be arrested.
One of Pagayawan's friend witnessed the incident and identified the suspect as Rementizo.
But Rementizo denied the allegations, saying he had nothing to do with the incident and he never knew the witness.
Later Montalba said he won't cover police officers found responsible for killing Pagayawan.
He then explained that it's hard to clarify the witness's statements because he reported that he didn't see the whole incident.
Montalba mentioned that he arrived in the crime scene a few minutes later and no one he asked knew the suspect since he was wearing a bonnet.
He said the following day the statements were changed and the suspect was no longer wearing a bonnet.
"Kadtong pag-abot nato sa area nisulti dayon sila nga kong kinsa kay ila man kaha nga nailhan aron dali na nato ma-imbestigahan (When we reach the area they should have told me who the suspect was because they were claiming that they knew him so that we can arrest him immediately)," Montalba said.
Montalba then called on the witnesses to immediately report to him if he/she knew the suspect behind Pagayawan's murder.
(February 8, 2004 issue)
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