THE man who was gunned down, then his body torched by his assailants, in Barangay Babag 1, Cebu City on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2019, was on a controversial list of drug personalities provided by President Rodrigo Duterte.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas ordered a DNA test on the charred body to determine if it really was Cary “Tangkag” Llaguno, brother of slain drug lord Crisostomo “Tata Negro” Llaguno.
Sinas told reporters that Tangkag inherited his brother’s operations after the latter’s death in 2010.
The police official admitted that he was surprised that Tangkag was murdered in such a manner. He said Tangkag’s rivals in the illegal drug trade may have been behind it.
“I ordered to have him investigated as I believe he was included in the President’s list. I also ordered a background check because I thought the way he was murdered was ‘weird.’ To burn his body like that after shooting him only meant he must have been deeply involved in the illegal drug trade,” Sinas said in Cebuano.
For Sinas, the persons behind Tangkag’s death must have had a deep grudge against the victim.
Meanwhile, Sinas said he doesn’t believe Sanny Loredo, the father of Tangkag’s live-in partner, who claimed he saw Tangkag killed by 30 armed men wearing bulletproof vests like the ones used by police.
However, Sinas is not discounting the possibility that Loredo may have been exaggerating.
The police official said they’re waiting for other witnesses to crop up.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Gemma Vinluan, for her part, said she could not believe that 30 armed men were behind the crime.
Vinluan said she tasked investigators to validate what Loredo had seen, especially since the claim did not reach them during the investigation level.
Police can only speculate that Tangkag may have died from the incident since they have yet to confirm if the charred body is him. He said their investigators only relied on the witnesses’ testimony.
Sinas said he already requested a DNA test to verify the body’s identity.
After the incident, personnel from the PNP Scene of the Crime Operations checked the charred body and found no evidence to suggest it was Tangkag. (From AYB of SuperBalita Cebu, JKV)