Bato eyes ‘vigilantes’ in slays of 2 linked to Bulacan massacre

PNP Chief Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. NOY MORCOSO III/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

MANILA — The deaths of two persons of interest in the killing of a family of five, including three children, in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, may be the work of vigilantes.

At a chance interview following Wednesday’s oath-taking and donning of ranks ceremony in Camp Crame, Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Ronald Dela Rosa said in mixed Filipino and English that the killings could be the work of “somebody who is aggrieved. Somebody who is really angry at what they did.”

“That could be anybody. That is why our police investigators are looking into it,” Dela Rosa said.

He denied that the killings of Rolando Pacinos, whose body was dumped on Palmera Drive, Phase 7 in Barangay Sto. Cristo with the fingers cut off, as well as that of another person of interest identified as a “Ponga” were related to President Duterte’s previous pronouncement.

Mr. Duterte had admitted that he wanted the perpetrators in the killing of the family of Dexter Carlos dead when he visited the wake. He promised Carlos justice for the killing of his wife Estrella and three children: Donnie, Ella, and Dexter Jr, as well as his mother-in-law.

He did say that while he wanted the people responsible for the killings dead, he has not ordered anyone to carry it out.

Dela Rosa told reporters, “He (Mr. Duterte) did not order us to abduct, kill and dump those people. That is not the job of the police.”

“He did not tell me, ‘Bato, kill him.’ He never said anything like that,” he pointed out, adding that whatever Mr. Duterte said was out of his dismay over the situation and anger at the people responsible.

“It is most likely the work of vigilantes. We will know for sure if we are able to make an arrest, once we establish who are behind those killings,” the PNP chief said.  SFM