Police investigators are looking into reports that policemen have been involved in the proliferation of robberies and other crimes in Los Baños town in Laguna.
“There are unofficial reports that some of the thieves were backed by cops. Some were even police assets,” Chief Superintendent James Melad, police director for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) said on Sunday.
He said “six to eight” names of policemen were on the investigators’ list. However, he refused to give other details.
“We believe these cops have established their influence in the community [so] our first move was to reassign them to other municipalities or provinces until we get enough evidence to press charges against them,” Melad said.
The killing of Ray Bernard Peñaranda, an agriculture student of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) has prompted the relief of the town’s police chief and 53 other policemen. Los Baños was also placed under the command of the provincial police.
On Sunday, police officials established a school protection unit at UPLB. Ten patrol vehicles were deployed to provide security at night and free rides to students from UPLB and nearby universities, said Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz, Laguna police director.
Another robbery
Amid all the security measures, another UP student fell victim to robbers.
Peter Cruz, 19, who is pursuing a degree in Associate of Arts at the UP Open University, was attacked by two unidentified robbers in his apartment in Rhodas Subdivision in Barangay (village) Anos shortly before midnight on Friday.
According to a police report, Cruz arrived at his apartment and found the intruders stealing his laptop.
Chief Inspector Conrado Masungsong, Los Baños police chief, said Cruz fought back to get his computer back. He said the student was able to grab a pipe and hit one of the robbers, but they were still able to escape with the item.
Cruz suffered shallow cuts in the arm and belly.
Firefly
On Sunday, during the funeral mass for Peñaranda in Tanay, Rizal, his father, German, likened him to a firefly. Ray Bernard, who majored in entomology at the UPLB, used to say that he wanted to build a firefly garden with him someday, he recalled.
“Now I understood what that meant. Ray was just a single firefly. His friends and the people he touched became his group of fireflies that brought light to darkness,” German said. Ray’s remains were buried that afternoon at Haven of Rest Memorial Park.
Ray Bernard, 19, was stabbed dead by robbers on March 4 along F.O. Santos Street in Barangay (village) Batong Malake, outside the UPLB campus in Laguna. He was the second UPLB student killed in the vicinity, after the rape-slaying of Given Grace Cebanico in October last year.
His death also came days after 14-year-old Rochel Geronda, a student of Los Baños National High School, was raped and killed in the same area on Feb. 27, sparking outrage from both town residents and the academic community.
During the Mass, German asked everyone to be “a firefly that brings light.” He believed his son’s death was not put to waste after all as this had opened the minds of local authorities, police and UPLB community against crimes.
3 suspects taken
On Tuesday, confessed lookout Joseph Beltran surrendered and identified Tyronne Kennedy Terbio and Carl “Dactil” de Guzman. Terbio surrendered on Thursday while De Guzman was arrested in Daraga, Albay, on Friday.
More than a thousand mourners joined the funeral.
Members of Ray’s family wore white shirts printed with the words: “Justice for Ray Bernard.” His high school batchmates from University of Rizal System also wore white shirts with the message: “Sama sa hirap, share share sa sarap.” “He used to tell us that,” said Ray’s high school classmate Minelle Madriaga.
Forgiveness
Sister Dolores Reyes, a nun and Ray’s aunt, said: “Although it is very painful, we have forgiven them. We just hope justice is served and they face the law,” she said.
Family members and friends offered white roses and white balloons. “We hope all ends here. And that he is the last (to die that way),” Reyes said.
Arsenio Evangelista Jr. from the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption called on the authorities to put a stop to the killings.
Police authorities have considered the case closed with the arrest of the three suspects.