ILIGAN CITY—Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo T. Eleazar has ordered a thorough investigation of the killing of Sulu police chief Col. Michael Bawayan on Friday afternoon by a fellow police officer in Jolo town.
Bawayan, 49, was gunned down by Police Staff Sgt. Imran Jilah at a checkpoint in Barangay Asturias after an altercation over the latter’s long hair.
After shooting Bawayan, Jilah was also killed by his superior’s aides.
Jilah, 43, who is assigned at the 3rd Maneuver Platoon of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, was manning the quarantine control checkpoint when Bawayan conducted an inspection.
In a statement, Eleazar said he has instructed Brig. Gen. Eden Ugale, police director of the chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to constitute “a special investigation task group (SITG) at the regional level” to coordinate the probe.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (INQUIRER file photo / NIÑO JESUS ORBETA)
The SITG, according to Eleazar, will be composed of investigative teams from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Regional Intelligence Division, crime laboratory, Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, and Jolo police station.
“We do not want to make hasty conclusions at this point. We’d rather await the result of the investigation,” Eleazar said.
He added that he is not giving a deadline for the probe “to avoid undue pressure that may lead to haphazard results.”
Heartbreaking
In Cotabato City, Ugale said Bawayan’s killing “is undeniably heartbreaking to the entire police force of the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR).”
Ugale, however, said it was just “an isolated incident” which will not affect the discharge by the region’s police personnel of their duty.
Ugale called on the region’s police force “to take a pause and pray for the repose of the soul of Police Col. Bawayan.”
“His sacrifice while serving the community will not be forgotten and (he) will be remembered as a devoted police officer,” Ugale said.