Sunday, November 04, 2007 Police chief clarifies issue on 'salvaging' By Marna H. Dagumboy
GUAGUA -- A top police official here on Saturday denied rumors that one of his policemen had recanted his earlier confession on the alleged involvement of another co-police officer in the death of a "salvage" victim found along Masaluso river in Barangay Sto. Rosario, Minalin last October 9.
Chief Inspector Wilson Santos, this town's police chief, belied reports that Police Officer Russel Castro has filed his affidavit of desistance to retract his confession against Police Officer Ponciano Manalo, who is also detailed in this police station.
"It's not true that Police Officer Castro filed his affidavit of desistance," Santos stressed.
Santos also said that Manalo, who is facing a case of homicide with an administrative case of Grave Abuse of Authority, is now included in the list of wanted persons here.
Castro, on the other hand, was also charged with Homicide, for him to qualify as a state witness against Manalo.
Provincial Police Director Keith Ernald Singian has ordered a manhunt operation for the immediate arrest of Manalo who is at large now.
Earlier, the Pampanga Provincial Police Office here revealed that the "salvage" victim -- identified as one Avelino Bautista, 27, single, jobless and a resident of Purok 5 San Pedro, Guagua -- was killed by Manalo in a summary execution.
Singian in a statement said that the summary execution of Bautista was discovered through the confession of Police Officer Russel Castro, a buddy of Police Officer Manalo at the Guagua Police station. He said that prior to the "salvaging" of the victim, the two policemen responded to a reported robbery of an Internet shop owned by one Vic Chu, also in Guagua.
Singian said Castro had confessed the summary execution of the robbery suspect to Inspector Onofre Asuncion, deputy chief of the Guagua police. He said Castro had positively identified his buddy, Police Officer Manalo, "as the one who shot to death salvage victim Bautista on the eve of October 7."
Investigations disclosed that Santos had learned from Castro that when the two lawmen reached the reported place of robbery incident, Bautista was already tied up by village folk with a nylon cord on both hands and feet.
"Santos added that Castro claimed he and his buddy Police Officer Manalo brought with them robbery suspect Bautista and boarded their patrol car. Castro alleged that they were on their way to police station when his buddy Police Officer Manalo fired his firearm hitting Bautista on the head," Singian said.
It was learned that upon seeing Bautista with a bullet wound on the head, Castro, who was driving the police patrol vehicle, pulled over and disembarked.
Castro alleged that he was threatened by Manalo against divulging the "salvaging" incident.
