Mayor David Navarro of Clarin, Misamis Occidental. INQUIRER/NESTLE SEMILLA
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Police (PNP) may include in its investigation the alleged link of slain Mayor David Navarro of Clarin, Misamis Occidental to a robbery group based in Ozamiz City, PNP officer-in-charge Lt. Gen. Archie Gamboa said Monday.
Gamboa refused to confirm reports that Mayor David Navarro and Dante Navarro, the leader of the Alferez Robbery Group, were one and the same person. The reports quoted information tipped by the National Capital Region Police Office to the Central Visayas police.
He said he still has to find out the basis of these reports.
“Probably we will direct Region VII to include that in their SITG (Special Investigation Task Group). Halungkatin na nila lahat kung ano ang nalalaman nila (They should dig deeper into everything they know),” Gamboa said in a press briefing at Camp Crame.
Cebu City police chief Col. Gemma Vinluan earlier said that the family of the murdered Misamis Occidental official believes than an organized criminal group based in Ozamiz City was behind his killing.
Gamboa said investigators will also look at possible lapses of the police officers accompanying the mayor in the three-vehicle convoy, as the Navarro family raised questions on the security given by the local police to the victim during the incident.
Navarro, who was in President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of alleged narco-politicians, was killed in an ambush perpetrated by around 10 armed men as police were escorting him for inquest proceedings to the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office last October 25. Navarro was aboard a police car positioned in the middle of the three-vehicle convoy.
READ: Misamis Occidental town mayor dies in ambush while in police custody in Cebu
He was facing charges of usurpation of authority, slight physical injury, and acts of lasciviousness in relation to a complaint that he allegedly assaulted a male massage therapist last October 23. He also allegedly asked a masseuse for sexual favor in a separate incident.
READ: Mayor arrested after beating up masseur, telling masseuse to massage his birdie
Police recovered 25 empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol as well as empty shells from an M16 Armalite rifle at the crime scene.
Navarro died on the spot, sustaining gunshot wounds in the head, shoulder, and arms.
Four other persons, including two policemen, were also injured in the attack. /kga
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