City mayors to PNP: Act swiftly on Calbayog exec slay

BACOLOD CITY—City mayors in the country have called for a swift action on the killing of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino by policemen in Samar province.

In their first online dialogue with police officials last Wednesday, the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP) sought for an enhanced collaboration between law enforcers and local chief executives to avoid another death involving mayors.

“We demand for an immediate resolution for the orchestrated ambush of Mayor Aquino and we appeal to police authorities for a thorough investigation of his killing. We count on them to arrest the perpetrators of this dastardly act,” said the LCP led by its national president and Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia.

Police Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, officer in charge of the Philippine National Police (PNP), assured the LCP that the police are committed to resolving the case at the earliest time possible, and hoped “this unfortunate incident should not affect our relationship and your trust (in us).”

Eleazar said PNP chief Director Debold Sinas, who is recuperating from COVID-19, has ordered a thorough investigation into Aquino’s death.

NBI probe

On March 8, Aquino was on his way to his family’s Villa Marcelina to attend his son’s birthday party when he was killed in what the PNP in Eastern Visayas said was a shootout between the mayor’s group and policemen belonging to the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group and the Samar Provincial Drug Enforcement Unit (PDEU).

Five others were killed in the incident—Aquino’s driver, his police escort, two PDEU members, and a civilian who was hit by a stray bullet.

Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento has appealed to President Duterte and Sen. Christopher Go to ask the National Bureau of Investigation to hasten its probe on Aquino’s slay.

Sarmiento was earlier assured by the NBI that they would conclude its investigation within the month.

The lawmaker also asked the House committee on public order investigate the killing of Aquino, whose burial on Wednesday in his city was attended by some 4,000 Calbayognons. —REPORTS FROM CARLA P. GOMEZ AND JOEY GABIETA