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Wednesday, April 13, 2005
Brains in journalist's slay still at large
By Ben O. Tesiorna
* But police consider case solved following the arrest of four suspects
* Former agriculture official in Central Mindanao and his wife tagged as brains behind columnist's slay
* Esperat's murder plotted in Davao City
THE mastermind behind the murder of columnist Marlene Garcia-Esperat remains at large, but police have considered the case solved following arrest of four suspects over the weekend in Region 11.
One of the suspects, police said, tagged a former regional director of the Department of Agriculture in Central Mindanao and his wife as the brains behind Esperat's killing.
The arrested suspects were identified as Sergeant Rowie Barua, Estanislao Vismanos, Gerry Cabayag and Randy Grecia.
Barua is said to be detailed at the military intelligence group of the Army's 6th Infantry Division in Camp Awang, Maguindanao.
In an interview over DXRP Radyo ng Bayan Tuesday, Central Mindanao Police Regional Director Chief Antonio Billones said the suspects were arrested after intense police operations supervised by their superiors in Camp Crame upon orders of Malacañang.
Billones identified the triggerman who shot Esperat as Cabayag, Grecia as the lookout and Vismanos and Barua as the financiers.
Billones said the four suspects met at a shopping mall in Davao City to plan the murder of Esperat. He said the triggerman was initially paid P60,000 as down payment and another P60,000 was given after the death of Esperat.
It was learned that Cabayag was arrested in a safe house in Asuncion, Davao del Norte while Grecia voluntarily surrendered to the authorities.
Billones however suspected the real mastermind behind Esperat's murder is still at large.
Based on the police investigation, the suspects reportedly did not give any motive as to why they killed the journalist.
"Basta pinatay lang daw nila ng walang dahilan," Billones said.
Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes declined to identify the arrested suspects and said it was too early to identify the mastermind.
But Reynaldo Wycoco, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) director, said Grecia tagged a certain Sumail Sekkak, a former agriculture regional director in Central Mindanao, as the mastermind in the killing.
Wycoco further quoted Grecia as saying Sekkak's wife, a former employee of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, was also involved.
Esperat, an anti-corruption crusader and columnist of Sultan Kudarat-based newspaper The Midland Review, had filed graft charges against the couple. The charges lead to the couple's removal from office.
"We consider the Esperat murder solved. But we are still digging deeper to identify the mastermind," said Billones. (with reports from Peng Aliño)
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (April 13, 2005 issue)
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