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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Task force organized vs Angeles killings
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES -- The wave of killings that has shocked residents here has prompted the Angeles City Police Office (ACPO) to form a special task force.
Supt. Reynaldo Malonzo, Station 2 chief and deputy director for police community relations, announced Wednesday the creation of a task force, saying that the body would devise strategies to solve the killings that had alarmed city residents in the past weeks.
The latest victim in the wave of killings here was Ruben Marin Jr., an alleged jueteng station manager, who died when two assailants shot him eight times with a 9 mm. pistol inside his hospital room on the fourth floor of the St. Catherine Hospital in Barangay Cutcut last Monday night.
Last Saturday, Francis Lao, 22, single, of Asuncion Street in Lourdes North West, Angeles City, died from two bullet wounds in the head after he was shot by a man who stole his moped. Malonzo theorized that Lao was shot and killed purely in connection with the robbery of his moped. He said the young victim had no known enemies. Prior to the killing of Lao and Marin, at least two men died in two separate incidents since February 25.
Last February 25, bullcap-wearing gunmen shot and killed photographer Nilo Piao, a member of the Bantay Bayan of Barangay Ninoy Aquino.
Last March 8, Mario Fernando, a construction company driver, was shot by men wearing bullcaps while he returned from work to his house in Barangay Pulung Maragul.
Malonzo said Lao was shot in the face by a still unidentified man who quickly sped away aboard Lao's motorcycle.
He said the task force is monitoring the progress of the investigations and is implementing new strategies to stop the killings in the city.
Malonzo also said Angeles City Police Director Jimmy F. Restua personally supervises follow-up investigations into shooting-murders committed in the city.
Malonzo said Restua also launched "Operation Galugad" to flush out all criminals in all the city's barangays which are frequently used as hideouts of people involved in robberies, snatchings, and other crimes.
He said "Operation Galugad" is jointly undertaken by the Angeles City Police Office (Acpo) and Alejandro Lazaga, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) director for Angeles City.
Admitting that the police force is not fully capable of preventing crimes, Malonzo stressed that closer cooperation between the police and the citizens is highly important in maintaining peace in a community.
He said the people should be vigilant in providing information to the police that can lead them to prevent crimes and arrest criminals operating in the city.
(March 18, 2004 issue)
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