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Saturday, June 04, 2005
Roy says he didn’t shoot men sleeping or watching television
A former policeman who claimed to have killed 117 criminals in his lifetime says he is against summary executions, the same tasks he admitted carrying out years ago in Mindanao.
Retired SPO3 Perfecto “Roy” Codiñera, who wishes to be called “the fastest gun alive,” said there is something wrong about the way the killings in Cebu City were carried out.
“When I read the papers and I learn that the criminals were sleeping or watching TV, I don’t feel right about it,” he said.
Codiñera admitted killing criminals before, but said he always had reasons for doing so. He said most of his hits were in shootouts with criminals who refused to surrender.
He also criticized the way minors sometimes got caught in the crossfire, and how some of the victims were not even big-time criminals.
Though he did not say who he thought was responsible, Codiñera said he does not believe the vigilante killings are the work of civilians.
“There must be an official who knows about the whole thing,” Codiñera said, without elaborating.
Codiñera admitted that carrying out summary executions was his job when he was still assigned in Mindanao. But he said those he killed all had a string of cases.
He said that in his assignment in Cebu, all his killings were “justified.”
Codiñera also expressed his thoughts on suspected robber Rey Torres.
He said that when he was still in Mindanao, he was not among the cops who used Torres as an informer, though he knew who among the policemen there were familiar with him.
He believes these cops were the ones protecting Torres. But he is surprised why it has taken this long for police to arrest the fugitive.
He said that if he had been the one assigned to escort Jemar Mansalinog, Torres’ nephew, to the Palace of Justice, he would have shot Torres when he allegedly made the daring rescue that day.
For his part, Supt. Melvin Gayotin welcomes the new development in the investigation of the vigilante killings.
Witnesses have approached the family of one of the victims and told them what they saw.
Commission on Human Rights (CHR) 7 Director Alejandro Alonzo said they now have a lead on the identity of the group that is possibly behind the killings.
Gayotin said he will wait for the Homicide Section to show him their investigation.
The CHR 7 is coordinating with the Homicide Section on the matter. (MEA)
(June 4, 2005 issue)
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