Mark Ronald Aquino, the eldest son of the slain mayor, promised to the hundreds of Calbayognon attending the funeral that he will do everything to bring behind the bars of justice all those responsible for his father’s death.
Catbalogan City, an hour drive away from Calbayog City is where the provincial seat of government is located and where the alleged political nemesis of the slain mayor holds control and power over the entire Samar province.
FAMILY, friends and supporters of slain Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino expressed their outrage and called for justice as they finally laid him to rest last Wednesday (March 24).
The internment was marked by great indignation and expressions of outrage over what they described as senseless killing of a good man and a just and well-loved leader.
Shortly before his burial, various activities were conducted by his supporters, including parading a hearse carrying a coffin replicating that of the victim’s remains to dramatize their sense of grief and anger for his death.
They marched for hours with a convoy of vehicles from Calbayog City to Catbalogan City and vice versa.
Catbalogan, an hour drive away from Calbayog City is where the provincial seat of government is located and where the alleged political nemesis of the slain mayor holds control and power over the entire province of Samar.
It is also where the Samar Provincial Police Office is located.
Show of outrage
All vehicle in convoy have tarpaulins with bold printed texts accusing the perpetrators, especially the policemen involved in the incident as paid assassins.
The allegations have unnecessarily dragged and seriously tainted the entire Samar Provincial police organization.
The operatives and units involved in the controversial Calbayog shooting incident were under the direct supervision of the said police provincial office.
Apparently, the indignation march was a bold demonstration of the local residents’ outrage against what they claim was politically motivated killing.
They suspect that the brains behind the killing of Aquino and his companions is reportedly a big political name residing in Catbalogan City, and that the policemen who figured in the shootout were henchmen of the said politician.
Testimony
Earlier in the week, a three-page testimony bearing the PNP and Samar Police Office logos have gone viral over social media.
The testimony dated March 14, 2021, appears to belong to an anonymous police officer claiming to be closely associated with P/Cpt. Joselito Cabada.
The anonymous narrative seriously describes in detailed sequence the alleged hit-job plot, which incidents he claimed was hatched in 2017, at the time of the deaths of several barangay officials in Calbayog City.
The said testimony has implicated and named police officer Tabada, a certain “PD Torre, VG Jimboy Tan, bossing Monmon Uy and boss Onx Montealto”, as the personalities behind in the series of killings that happened in Calbayog City in recent months, including the March 8 “shootout” that killed Aquino and five others, and wounding two more.
Also named in the said narrative as involved in the alleged Calbayog slay-plot were “Lt. Col. Sucayre, P/Maj. Cyril Tan, P/Insp. Julius Armesa, P/Capt. Dino Goles, S/Sgt. Romeo Laoyon, P/Cpl. Edzil Omega, P/SSgt. Neil Cebu and unnamed elements of the Gandara Municipal Police Station.”
The said officers are now in fact the subjects of separate investigations being conducted by the Special Investigation Task Force of the Philippine National Police PNP and the National Bureau of Investigation NBI.
Malicious
The accusation which went viral was immediately dismissed by the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO 8) and the Office of the Samar Provincial Governor.
Both offices issued their respective statements on what they claim “malicious, baseless and high irresponsible” assertions, that would only muddle and create further confusion to the issue.
“The said post contains malicious, misleading and deceptive allegations from an anonymous police officer,” the PNP statement read.
Political mudslinging
Apparently affected as the name “VG Jimboy Tan” surfaced in the claimed “Calbayog killings plot,” Samar Governor Reynolds Michael Tan in a statement urged a stop to what he claimed as “spreading fake news.”
According to him, the “Samar Provincial Police Office belies the statement posted on Bantay Samarnon Facebook page” accusing it as sowing further confusion.
“Diri ka Bantay Samarnon nakakabulig pagsolbar hini nga panhitabo, lugod mas ginlilipong mo an mga tawo.”
Tan appealed to everyone “to respect the bereaved families by not making the incident as a political mudslinging tactic.”
The governor said he is seriously considering legal action on the matter.
No Justice, No Peace
During the funeral, scores of supporters were seen clad in white T-shirts printed with bold texts which read “No Justice for Mayor Aquino, No Peace in Calbayog.”
Dominating in the calls conveyed also in the tarps and banners and placards held up was the resounding plea for the Philippine National Police not to engage anymore in politics, much more be used by politicians.
Hopeful
Mark Ronald Aquino, the eldest son of the slain mayor, promised to the hundreds of Calbayognon attending the funeral that he will do everything to bring behind the bars of justice all those responsible for his father’s death.
Mark said he remains extremely wary of the claims of the PNP that the police operations which resulted in the bloody death of his father and 5 others were legitimate.
He expressed hopes that the ongoing separate investigations being conducted by NBI will ferret out the truth, and ultimately deliver justice to his father’s untimely and cruel demise. (RM)
Tags: # CalbayogCity, #Catbalogan City, #Justice, #LocalPolitics, #PoliticalKillings