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Friday, January 18, 2008
Tawi-Tawi priest 'killers' known
By Bong Garcia
ZAMBOANGA CITY -- Military and police authorities have identified two of the suspects in the killing of Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) priest, Fr. Jesus Reynaldo Roda.
Lieutenant General Nelson Allaga, chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), on Thursday said one of the two identified suspects is a former policeman.
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"There is another one that we have identified," Allaga said without giving any hint as to identity of the other suspect.
At least 10 people barged into the Notre Dame High School campus in Tabawan Island, South Ubian town Tuesday night and tried to kidnap 54-year-old Fr. Roda.
They killed the priest when he resisted and tagged along with them a teacher named Omar Taup.
Allaga however said it was not clear yet whether the gunmen are members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf bandits, whose group was responsible in the killing of Claretian priest Fr. Roel Gallardo in 2000 in the province of Basilan.
"We are doing some efforts," Allaga said citing pursuit operations continue in the province of Tawi-Tawi. "We are helping the police."
He however did not divulge any specific detail on the ongoing pursuit operations so as not to jeopardize it.
Allaga said the suspects are still within Tawi-Tawi and there are 317 islands in the province.
He revealed that the Westmincom don't maintain any fix military base in Tawi-Tawi except that the entire province is being patrolled by his forces in support to the police force.
The Marine troops are backed by troops from the Task Force 62 of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (NFWM).
The military unit that is stationed in Tawi-Tawi located in the southern most tip of the Philippines is the Marine Battalion Landing Team-2 (MBLT-2) headed by Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Larin. (Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. (January 18, 2008 issue)
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