Cops, BuCor form task group to probe murder of BuCor legal service chief

Muntinlupa police chief Col. Hermogenes Cabe gives updates on the killing of Bureau of Corrections legal service chief Frederic Santos. /Consuelo Marquez, INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Authorities have formed a special investigation task group to look into the killing of Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) legal service chief Fredric Anthony Santos.

In an interview with reporters at Muntinlupa Police Headquarters on Thursday, police chief Col. Hermogenes Cabe said the city’s police force and BuCor launched Task Force Santos to coordinate in the investigation of the murder.

“The investigation will be conducted jointly by the BuCor and the Muntinlupa police. And coordinating meeting was made kaninang umaga with the BuCor  [The coordinating meeting was made with the BuCor earlier] so that they will allow us to have access to the files of Atty. Santos,” Cabe said.

Cabe noted that the task force will also investigate whether Santos received death threats before to the shooting incident.

Cabe said it is also too early to conclude that Santos’ role in the Senate hearing tackling the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law was linked to the BuCor official’s murder.

“That is why we are really pushing that the investigation should be done by both the Muntinlupa police and BuCor. We can’t say if this is related to the GCTA,” he said.

On Wednesday, Santos was on board a Toyota Hilux when two unidentified gunmen shot him in front of a school along Katihan Street in Barangay Poblacion at 1:50 p.m. Santos was about to fetch his daughter from the Southernside Montessori School when the ambush happened.

Cabe said the latest report from the Scene of the Crime Operatives showed that Santos sustained six gunshot wounds — two in the head, one in the neck and three in the heart.