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Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Retired cop nabbed for 'Laguna' massacre
MANILA (Updated 10:14 a.m.) -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it has taken into its custody a retired policeman for possible involvement with the "massacre" of eight civilians, five of them children, in Calamba City on Monday dawn.
PNP spokesman Nicanor Bartolome said former SPO4 Florencio Peria will be formally charged with murder before the local prosecutor's office, along with his farmhand, Abe Defiesta, who Peria implicated.
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"Our police operatives in Laguna already have in their custody one of the suspects in the multiple murder committed in Calamba City. He is retired SPO4 Florencio Peria," said Bartolome.
Defiesta, on the other hand, is still at large.
Bartolome said Peria, formerly detailed with the Laguna police office, told investigators that Defiesta stole his M16 rifle, which he later used in the attacking four residential houses in Calamba City at around 12:15 a.m., resulting in the death of the eight and injuring of six others.
"According to him (Peria), his M16 rifle was taken from him by his farmhand Bernabe Defiesta, alias Abe Defiesta and according to him also, Abe shot the victims without his knowledge but he (Peria) is also included in the charge sheet," said Bartolome.
The PNP spokesman said Peria was initially invited by the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon, Rizal (Calabarzon) regional police office "because one of the recovered evidences in the scene of the crime was a magazine of an M16 rifle with markings Peria. That was the breakthrough here, because of those markings so they search who is Peria in the area." (VR/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Baguio. (May 20, 2008 issue)
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