NBI to probe killing of Calbayog mayor

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Wednesday said he had directed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct an inquiry into the killing of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino in an alleged shootout with police antinarcotics agents. “I referred this to the NBI for the simple reason that the other party involved is the Philippine National Police. There are different versions [of what happened]. To have an objective and impartial investigation, I [directed] the NBI to investigate the incident,” Guevarra said in a Viber message. NBI spokesperson Ferdinand Lavin said the bureau had sent a forensic team from the national headquarters to help agents from the Catbalogan field office in the investigation. —Marlon Ramos