Father of slain doctor doubts claim son was killed by rebel

Military personnel attend to the remains of Dr. Dreyfuss Perlas on arrival at the Kalibo International Airport in Aklan on Friday, March 3, 2017. (Contributed photo by JUN AGUIRRE)

ILOILO CITY—The father of slain rural physician Dreyfuss Perlas doubts that the alleged gun-for-hire killed by soldiers and policemen in Kapatagan town in Lanao del Norte province on Saturday was involved in his son’s death.

“We should not conclude right away because this could be just to divert us from those really responsible,” Dennis Perlas told the Inquirer on Monday.

The elder Perlas, a councilor of Batan town in Aklan province, was reacting to reports that alleged hired assassin, Agapito Tamparong Democer, was a probable suspect in the killing of his son.

“The only information is that he was a gun-for-hire responsible for many killings. But it does not necessarily mean that he is the killer of my son,” he said.

A lone gunman shot and killed Dreyfuss on March 1 in Kapatagan town in Lanao del Norte.

Dreyfuss, the municipal health officer of Sapad town in the province, died from a bullet that hit his back and pierced his heart.

Police have not publicly identified any suspect or mentioned a motive for the killing. But the Army’s 15th Infantry Battalion identified Democer as one of the alleged suspects in the killing of Perlas.

Democer died in a joint operation by policemen and soldiers of the 15 IB in Bagong Silang village in Kapatagan.

The soldiers and policemen were implementing an arrest order against Democer for pending murder and frustrated murder charges.

The members of the operating team shot at Democer after he allegedly fired and attempted to throw a grenade at them.

Senior Supt. Faro Antonio Olaguera, Lanao del Norte police director, said investigators were still “evaluating” the information that Democer could be involved in the killing of Perlas.

“We are holding a case conference with my (military) counterpart,” Olaguera told the Inquirer on Monday.

Provincial officials led by Gov. Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo have offered a P100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer of Perlas. —KARLOS MANLUPIG AND RICHEL V. UMEL