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Thursday, July 17, 2003
2 drug suspects killed 'death squad-style'
By Gwen P Posadas
DAVAO -- Two more suspected drug pushers fell prey to the shadowy vigilante group stalking offenders in Davao City, as a group formed Wednesday to campaign against the summary executions said it believed the police know who the killers are.
Gunmen in motorcycles, who have earned the moniker Davao Death Squad (DDS) because of the many killings they have carried out, killed Eddie Jalani, 40, alias Eddie Muslim, and Renante Alcoreza, 24, in separate incidents Tuesday night.
Jalani, a native of Zamboanga, resided in Nangkaan Village, Matina while Alcoreza, a construction worker, lived in San Nicolas, Buhangin.
Police said they received reports that Jalani and the woman he was living with, identified only as Chona, were involved in the illegal drug trade.
His neighbors had reportedly advised Jalani to leave the area after they noticed the gunmen frequently his residence. Jalani obviously did not follow their advice.
Initial investigation said the gunmen shot Jalani from behind while he was walking home at around 7 p.m. on Tuesday. He succumbed to gunshot wounds on his shoulder.
Two hours later, Alcoreza was shot dead by the gunmen.
Lack enthusiasm
A group calling itself the Coalition Against Summary Executions (Case) said police seemed to lack enthusiasm as far as apprehending members of the death squad are concerned.
Case, launched Wednesday in a restaurant in the city, said it might be that the police were involved in the killings.
The group was formed following growing protests against the rise in the number of summary killings attributed to the DDS.
No less than Davao City Police Office Director Conrado Laza reported to the City Council Tuesday that the gunmen carried out 86 summary executions from January 1 to July 10 this year. Not one of these killings has been solved.
Jalani, one of the two killed just Tuesday night, was previously jailed at the Talomo police station for possession of illegal drugs while the other, Alcozera, was a notorious thief, who was caught stealing two goats.
Agents of the Talomo police and Scene of the Crime Operation (Soco) team recovered one empty shell and a slug of a .45 caliber pistol in the place where Jalani was shot.
An aluminum foil, lighter, Nokia 6110 cellphone, wristwatch, and P120 cash were recovered from the victim.
Alcoreza was walking along Diversion Road in San Nicolas, Buhangin at 9:10 p.m. when he was shot several times. Police recovered five empty shells and two slugs of a .45 caliber pistol at the crime scene.
'Notorious thief'
A certain Romeo Arancon, a cousin of one of the victims, admitted in television interview that Alcoreza was a drug user.
But Chief Insp. Edgar Perez, Buhangin police precinct chief, said he is not aware of Alcoreza's involvement in illegal drugs but he was a "notorious thief."
"I'm not sure about his involvement in drugs. What I'm sure of is he's a robber," Perez said adding that the victim was detained at their precinct last month for stealing two goats.
The victim was also arrested by elements of the Sta. Ana police station for another case of theft.
Perez said despite several arrests, Alcoreza continued with his activities.
"Mao lang man gihapon, dili gihapon mag-undang," Perez said. (He simply refused to stop.)
A mother of three young men allegedly killed by the same death squad last year said she does not believe there is such a group.
She said the police told her that the names of her sons were in their list but did not elaborate.
In list
She spoke during the launching of the coalition Wednesday, which is composed of representatives from civil society, religious sector, academe, and professionals including lawyers and relatives of the victims.
While she did not believe the death squad and the police were of the same group, "they are very much acquainted with each other."
Neneng Datuin, another mother whose two sons were killed in a similar way, has a similar observation.
Her son, she claimed, was arrested after a sachet of shabu was planted on him.
A few weeks after he was released from detention, Datuin said, a policeman warned them that her son's name is in their list.
Sure enough, his son was killed.
"Sa ato pa ang mga pulis nasayod kinsa ang DDS, kinsa ang nag-order sa pagpatay," she said. (Therefore, the police know who the DDS are and who is ordering the killings.)
Violent declarations
Datuin even linked the killings to Mayor Rodrigo R. Duterte.
"When Duterte first ran a mayor he told us in his campaign sortie that if we allow him to serve as the mayor of Davao, he will clean up all that is dirty in our community," Datuin said.
They have since realized that the cleaning up meant forever removing the so-called bad elements in their communities, their children included.
Fr. Amado Picardal of the Redemptorist also took note of the mayor's violent declarations that reminded the priest of the years of Martial Rule.
"Pang-ihawon mo, to deal with extreme prejudice, it seems like his is a policy of extermination," Fr. Picardal said. "Nabalaka ko sa panghitabo sa Davao (I'm worried about the happenings here). It is making a mockery of democracy and civil society."
Taking note of the police's seeming apathy towards the deaths, Councilor Leonardo Avila III noted that in two instances the children of the victims witnessed the death of their fathers.
"If they are really serious about their investigations, then the police should already have the lead from that," Avila said. Sun.Star Davao
(July 17, 2003 issue)
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