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Saturday, March 18, 2006
Editorial: More than a line
THE deaths of Marlon Roa and Manuel Natindim, relatives of Misamis Oriental Gov. Oscar Moreno, reflect anew the need for local government units (LGUs) to strengthen security ties to resolve major crimes happening outside their borders.
As reported the two were invited by a certain "Atoy" to Iligan City and they failed to return after almost a week, prompting concerns from families who happen to be related to the governor.
It was only confirmed last Thursday that the two were killed though initial reports proved sketchy since the vehicle they used bore a different license plate from the vehicle found abandoned somewhere near the ravine where the remains were found.
There were allegations that drugs were the motive behind the murders but aside from the dangers of assuming too much the absence of any solid evidence can unnecessarily damage the reputations of the two men.
Of course there would be the usual round of investigations and we can only hope that the task force formed to hold an inquiry into the case produces suspects, solid evidence and an explanation of what had transpired in order to bring justice to the families of the two men.
In this regard it may be necessary to focus much attention on the case if only not to render the task force complacent and lead them to shelve the case as yet another one of the many gathering dust in the file cabinets.
Even if they are relatives of Governor Moreno the wheels of justice in this part of the country can be excruciatingly slow.
Just look at the Vizconde Massacre, the Aquino-Galman double murder case and dozens more in order to see how turtle-slow the much-vaunted pillars of law enforcement work in solving cases.
More so if the suspects involve prominent families or persons with ties to higher-ups. Or if these criminals have connections to the lowest scum of this part of the universe.
Perhaps no matter how much hand-wringing Governor Moreno does and despite his reiterated statements that the two murders are setbacks to the peace and order climate of Lanao del Norte province where the crime is said to have occurred, the twin murders may suffer the same fate as those killings which remain unresolved until now.
That is, again, unless those involved in the casework well, fast and hard enough to capture the people responsible and build a case strong enough to bring them to justice.
And if the oft-repeated line of security cooperation among LGUs in Mindanao is transformed into reality that would result in near-zero incidence of serious crimes in Region 10.
(March 18, 2006 issue)
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