In a letter addressed to the Philippine Police’s Director, Lapu-lapu City Mayor Arturo Radaza said that his lawyer’s death is linked to issues on tax evasion and smuggling.
Richard Sison, the recently murdered lawyer, was Lapu-lapu City’s legal consultant and took charge in organizing a “catch-a-tax-evader program.”
However, Radaza’s statement is met with a stern reaction by local businessmen who contended that they have nothing to gain from Sison’s death because Radaza can always hire another lawyer.
Lapu-lapu City businessmen told Sunstar, a local paper, that their mayor is using Sison’s death to divert the public’s attention from another issue.
Radaza is currently facing corruption charges filed by a local businessman.
According to locals, Sison’s murder is possibly not related to Radaza as the lawyer is known to handle drug-related cases and represent people charged with possession of illegal drugs. So the murderer could be anyone with connections in the wide world of drugs or… vigilantes?
This could be interesting as I often question the motive of lawyers who defend guilty clients.
Anyway, this will be my last post for WordPress.com as I have issues regarding the site’s policy of not allowing me to post ads. I will soon be blogging on Blogger.com. However, I won’t be writing anything about crime as following crime stories gives me bouts of depression.
As readers may notice, I have a complete lack of faith on the Philippines’ law enforcement services. They often say that they lack modern equipment to solve crimes. I think that no matter what “modern” equipment these guys have, it won’t do them any good as they don’t have the technical expertise to use them. Their artists lack training and I doubt that they have even heard of psychological profiling.
Profiling a suspect is a must in every investigation and it doesn’t require any “modern” equipment. All it needs is education and lots of exposure and practice. With this said, the Philippine government should focus its attention in upgrading the skills and knowledge of its law enforcement services. Police officers should be sent on seminars and training to enhance their skills and technigues. Skill is more important than equipment. The only equipment important enough to consider is firepower. The rest can be moved further down the list.
The way I see it, Philippine policemen cannot even be compared to those in Scotland Yard a century ago! Their lack of creativity and imagination stems from a lack of desire to serve and dedicate their lives to serving the public. However, I can’t say that I blame them since life in the Philippines is hard… and cheap. I heard that police officers in the Philippines are paid a measly sum for putting their lives on the line. The government should do something about this if it wants to have dedicated police officers.
Armed men robbed the Oro Sugbo Pawnshop and Jewelry Store along Magallanes St. in Cebu City last Saturday. The robbers reportedly got away with more than 13,000,000 pesos worth of jewelry.
The police arrested two of the suspects after a hot pursuit operation, while the rest of the robbers got away. One of the arrested suspects, Emmanuel Caraballe, was identified to be the one who disarmed the Pawnshop’s security guard.
After the robbery, the Cebu City mayor offered cash rewards to policemen who could arrest or kill the robbers. The mayor reportedly said that the recent killings and robberies showed that organized crime groups are active in the city. He indicates that the robbers’ use of high-powered firearms shows that the robbery is carried out by a well-funded group.
The mayor is offering 10,000 pesos to anyone who could identify the robbers, 20,000 pesos to those who could arrest them, and 50,000 pesos to those who can kill the suspects. The amounts are for each robber’s head.
Beat cops are now issued M-16 rifles in addition to their short firearms in hopes of getting the highest reward. It’s the wild, wild, west all over again, baby!
Ramon Rojas, the vice mayor of of Ajuy in Panay Island, was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding gunman while jogging at around 05:30.
The authorities are looking at two angles:
- political rivalry — according to reports, the rivalry is within the family claim; and
- illegal fishing — the victim was once accused of serving as protector and financier to some illegal fishers in Ajuy, a hotspot for illegal fishing.
Both angles are very plausible, but I think the illegal fishing angle requires immediate attention. The angle on political rivalry is lessened by the fact that elections are still a long way off plus the trend of motorcycle-riding vigilantes in the Philippines is too much of a coincidence to ignore. The murder could be another propaganda of these so-called vigilantes. If Mr. Rojas is really a financier of illegal fishing, then he is a very hot candidate for liquidation.
There seems to be some kind of fad in the southern part of the Philippines of motorcycle-riding gunmen. This could indicate that these guys are linked and under one organization. It takes a lot of organization to launch a nationwide campaign against so-called bad elements of society. The only organization that could pull a stunt like this is the NPA’s sparrow unit, but the victims, so far, are “petty” criminals and a few “small fry” corrupt politicians. These are not the type of targets of the Sparrow Unit.
Could it be an organization disguised as a “benevolent” guardian of society who have lurked in the shadows and have been steadily recruiting simple folks as agents. I heard that there is an organization in the Philippines composed of all manner of folk, from military leaders to ordinary street vendors. Could it be them? I heard that its top honcho is a distinguished graduate of the Philippine’s military academy.
The lawyer of Arturo Radaza, the mayor of Lapu-lapu City in Cebu, was killed yesterday inside his car by a motorcycle-riding gunman.
There aren’t enough details yet to indicate if the murder is linked with the victim’s work for the mayor or if it is related to the victim’s other cases.
The only detail the press released is the fact that somebody speaking English called the victim’s home in March and told the victim to watch his children if he doesn’t want anything bad to happen.
Police are still (and always will be) stumped regarding the motive of the murder.
Here is an interesting case. A member of the prominent Aboitiz family has been found dead on a bed inside his home in Cebu with a gunshot wound last Saturday.
Luis Alfonso Y. Aboitiz was the executive vice president of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Power Distribution Group and served as chief operating officer of the Visayan Electric Company before being assigned to Davao Light and Power Company also as chief operating officer.
All the details of Mr. Aboitiz’s murder is being withheld on the request of his family.
The Aboitiz family is well-respected in society so it’s quite a shock for a member to be murdered. Mr. Aboitiz seems to be an honest, no-nonsense type of guy. The fact that he once instituted reforms within VECO makes me wonder if the murderer could be a member of the Davao Light & Power Co.
I have the idea that Mr. Aboitiz was appointed in Davao to straighten out its service. The murderer could possible be a member who is afraid that his illegal operation of taking money from the company will be exposed or maybe Mr. Aboitiz knows about it already but has not made the act of exposing it yet.
Alternatively, the murderer could be a jealous employee who is supposed to be next in line to Mr. Aboitiz’s position. A friend told me that people from Southern Philippines are quite jealous about positions of power and are willing to kill for it.
It has been noted that life in Davao is cheap and one can easily find an assassin willing to travel to Cebu for a few grand.
The police are now looking into a possible involvement of Norberto Manero, a convicted priest killer, in the murder of Celso Pojas because of Manero’s statement to also abduct the friends and families of NPAs after his brother , Jose, was abducted by a group of NPAs led by Leoncio Pitao a/k/a Kumander Parago.
According to the director of police operations in the region, the police recently learned that Celso Pojas’ brother is an active member of Pitao’s group.
I think the police’s theory is sound but I would still go for the “datu and land angle” since the threats Pojas received started way before Jose Manero was abducted.
However, I recommend that the police reserve this theory for investigation later after they meet a blank wall in the land angle.
Celso “Ka Celso” Pojas, the 45-year-old secretary of the Farmers Association of Davao City and the spokesperson of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in the Southern Mindanao Region, was shot dead by two men outside his residence in Davao City.
Pojas’ colleagues think that he may be a victim of extrajudicial execution and blame members of the Philippine Army’s 10th Infantry Division. The media seems to be inclined to believe this theory since Pojas has been campaigning to stop military operations in the area.
However, I don’t think this is the case. There is a link between Pojas and the recently murdered Datu Doming Diarog, the leader of a Bagobo tribe, an indigenous group of people in Mindanao. I think the Datu Diarog case is the key in solving the Pojas case. Pojas has been known to have recently spoke for the family of the Datu.
The AFP angle is not worth following at this point. Sometimes, people fail to understand that an army battalion is not composed of independent-thinking individuals who love their job and who are very loyal to the country that they are willing to kill a minor militant leader. Pojas is a “small fry.” He is not worth the AFP’s effort to liquidate.
According to reports, the Datu has been receiving threats from the New People’s Army. He also received threats from the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, lead by Apollo Quiboloy, who calls himself “the son of God.”
The NPAs want the Datu to withdraw his support of the construction of an army patrol base at Sitio Sarro in Barangay Guianga and Quiboloy wants the Datu’s tribe’s land for various reasons. Quiboloy has been reported to have made attempts to purchase the tribe’s remaining two-hectare land for 50,000 pesos.
There were also reports of attempts made to burn the Datu’s farmhouse. The last one succeeded.
A report said that two of the Datu’s nephews were forced to sell their land for 100,000 pesos to Greg Granada, a barangay captain and a known represantive to Quiboloy, after the burning. The nephews also made allegations that they were offered 20,000 pesos by the perpetrators to kill their uncle.
In the Philippines, land is a very strong motive for murder.
Based on these reports, Quiboloy really want the lands by any means. He could have asked the local rebels to liquidate the Datu for him since the Datu is their common enemy. Pojas, a friend of the Datu, most likely condemned the NPA’s actions and probably made threats, which resulted in him being killed by the NPAs. Pojas’ group, KMP-SMR, is known to have a very strong relationship with the NPA.
As with other cases in the Philippines, I’m not optimistic that the authorities will be able to solve this.
The recent killing of Jose Magno, Evelyn Magno, and Medase Castro, three swindlers, strengthens the theory of a secret group of vigilantes/guns for hire in the Visayas and Northern Mindanao area.
The three swindlers were gunned down shortly after they posted bail. A pattern similar to the recent killings. This is reason enough to suspect that the same group carrying the execution is responsible. Unfortunately, the police believe that there is no pattern in the incidents because they were different cases.
I don’t think this “logic” is very logical. How the executions were carried out is pattern enough. It should also raise suspicion that the vigilantes have someone inside jail management feeding them information on when the victims are to be released. There is a very remote possibility that the vigilantes are staking out the area. I said remote because these guys need jobs to finance their lifestyle and they can’t spend a lot of time in one spot.
On another note, I’ve got to give credit to the police for confirming my earlier suspicion that Evelyn Magno is involved. This is basic police investigation and shows that the police are not as dumb as the people think.
In swindling operations carried out by married men, the wife is often involved. Evelyn Magno was previously arrested in Bais City, Negros Oriental Oriental for swindling. However, she identified herself as Ann P. Espada of P. del Rosario St., Cebu City during her arrest.
In the other cases, the families of the victims were not intentionally harmed. The shot Evelyn received to her head makes me suspect right away that she was involved in the swindling operation. Shots to the head at close range is very intentional.
At the crime scene, the police recovered Jose Magno’s mobile phone containing this message:
“Hi, kumusta hurot na ang inyong kita? Grabeha gyud ninyo nakailad karma ra ang inyo naghulat C. Satanas mga demonyo mong dagko may adlaw ra mo tanan mahurot mo kamatay wa matulog ang ginuo I hope mahitabo sa inyo mga anak inyo gibuhat, pag hapihapi mo hapit na inyo oras, padung namo sementeryo tanan andam nlang mo daan.”
English translation:
“Have you spent everything already? You fooled a lot of people. You’ll have your due soon. You’re evil. You’ll all be killed. Enjoy while you can, you’ll be killed. Everything has been set.”
The message clearly indicates somebody who is very angry… angry enough to kill. However, I think he may not be brave enough to carry the execution himself so he calls the vigilantes. He/she may be a victim or part of the swindling ring. It is difficult to tell at this stage.
This is not so hard to believe as I know for a fact that a lot of people get their kicks from killing so-called criminals to satisfy their homicidal tendencies and justify their actions. I also know for a fact that someone with a mobile phone acts as a middleman to these guys.
My theory is that the first executions starting in 2004 were advertisements and part of a promotional campaign for the vigilantes. They probably have agents sending messages throughout the underworld of their presence and what kind of services they’ll be performing.
According to reports, the police are still trying to find a witness to the crime. I don’t think they’ll find any and I don’t think they’ll ever solve the case.
Recolly Igoy, a 22-year-old member of the robbery gang that recently attempted to rob a bank in Carcar, Cebu, was shot dead by a motorcycle-riding gunman shortly after posting bail. Igoy’s cousin, Ronald Enario, was also shot dead by the gunman.
Igoy is the third robbery suspect in Cebu to have been killed shortly after posting bail. The deaths are not yet proven to be related but there is a very strong possibility that they are. The fact that they were gunned down shortly after posting bail is a strong indication of a connection. The modus operandi seems to be a habit of one person.
Cebu has recently been hit with a series of robberies. The short intervals of the crime suggests that the robbery groups have some kind of coordination with each other. It would not be surprising if all the robbers belong in one group and organized into different squads to make it appear that there is no connection between them. If this is true, the question is who is pulling the strings?
Another possibility is that the gunmen are actually from a secret organization of guns for hire. Their accuracy suggests that they are trained and are constantly training. The police, if they really want to catch these guys should:
- look into gun clubs and firing ranges,
- keep tabs and records of ex-military personnels or even ex-police officers, and
- investigate areas that are and can possibly be used as training grounds.
Chances are these gunmen are former military and law enforcement members.
Yesterday, I was caught by the headline of one of Cebu’s premier tabloids, “Super Balita.” It said “Customs Broker Gipusil.”
It was only the other day that my wife told me about the incident. I was only mildly interested as I just got home from a long day at the office.
After buying the tabloid, my wife told me about the incident again, this time in great detail.
The one good thing about women is that they focus too much on the personal lives of people. In about 10 minutes, I learned the whole life story of the victim.
The victim was Refuelo Abay-abay, 42 years old, the owner of LRA Customs Brokerage. He was shot in the back, point blank by an unknown gunman with a still unidentified caliber.
According to the tabloid’s report, Mr. Abay-abay cited his annulment case when police asked him for a possible cause of the shooting. This seems like a far-fetched motive and I think the police are more inclined to look at a work-related angle.
I must admit that I was also more keen to look at something related to his line of work, until I heard about his wife.
The woman seems to be one of those people that want to climb up the ladder of society one step higher than they could. In the Philippines, these type of women often come from a poor background… and I was right, the couple’s story is a typical rags-to-riches.
Based on these, I think the police should concentrate their efforts on the annulment angle. Just think about it. The wife could gain a lot by her husband’s death. If the annulment case succeeds, the wife only gains 50% of whatever conjugal property she and her husband have. The annulment case is still pending a preliminary hearing so it can be dropped anytime. If Mr. Abay-abay dies, the case will automatically be dismissed and the wife will get all the property.
This seems a little bit “movie-ish,” and bizarre but I believe that the woman did not plan everything. She probably has a guy as a partner. You know, people who are usually unhappy with their partners usually seek others for companionship.
The other guy probably thinks that if Mr. Abay-abay’s wife get all the goods then it will just be the same as him getting it because he has control over the woman.
I’d love to see this case come to its resolution but I’m afraid the capability of the Philippine National Police is not up to the task. They lack the creativity and the workmanship to solve a case. Every time they manage to solve one, they relied too much on chance because their intelligence work is practically non-existent.
Sad but true.
