PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde. (Photo from the PNP Facebook account)
MANILA, Philippines — Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde has ordered the Central Visayas police to conduct an immediate investigation into the recent spate of killings in Negros Oriental.
“Ipinag-utos ni PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde ang agarang imbestigasyon sa Negros. Nakita natin na may mga serye ng pagpatay doon,” PNP Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac told reporters in an interview at Camp Crame.
(PNP chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde has ordered an immediate investigation on Negros [killings.] We saw there was a series of killing there.)
Banac said Albayalde also ordered Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, director of the Central Visayas police, to make sure that perpetrators of the recent killings will be held liable.
Banac said that this order does not only cover the murder of four intelligence police officers in Ayungan town on July 18 killed by the communist New People’s Army (NPA), but also other recent murder cases in other cities.
Just on Thursday, seven were reported killed in separate incidents in the province.
The shooting incidents happened in the towns of Siaton, Ayungon, and Sta. Catalina, and Guihulngan City.
READ: 4 shot dead in 3 separate incidents in Negros Oriental
READ: More Negros bloodshed: Gunmen kill 3 in a day
Banac said the PNP considers the possibility that the incidents were related to insurgency but added investigators have yet to confirm this angle.
He said the police, for now, consider the series of cases as crime incidents.
“Ang importante ay patuloy ang imbestigasyon at lahat ng mga maysala ay dapat mapanagot sa batas. Whether ito ay insurgency-related or hindi, may krimen na nangyari. Dapat managot ang may sala,” he said.
(What’s important here is that the investigation continues on the incidents and all perpetrators should answer to the law. Whether this is insurgency-related or not, crimes happened. Those guilty should be held liable.) /jpv