No PNP members involved in Cagayan vice mayor ambush, police force clarifies

BULLET-RIDDLED The black van that carried Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda of Aparri town in Cagayan and his companions sits empty on the side of the road with bullet holes on its doors in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya on Sunday, after gunmen, clad in camouflage informs and using a car with a government plate, shot and killed the passengers. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE NUEVA VIZCAYA PROVINCIAL POLICE OFFICE

MANILA, Philippines — No member of the Philippine National Police (PNP) is involved in the fatal ambush of the vice mayor of Aparri, Cagayan and five others in Nueva Vizcaya, the police force said on Monday.

PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo made the clarification following reports that the suspects  were allegedly wearing PNP uniforms.

Fajardo said that the suspects were learned to be wearing camouflage uniforms but they have yet to identify whether these are the camouflage uniforms of the PNP or the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“Linawin lang natin na walang PNP members ang involved dito,” she said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.

(Let’s clarify that no PNP members are involved in the ambush.)

“Ang tinitingnan natin ay maaaring itong mga suspek ay nagsuot lang ng mga uniform to make it appear na sila ay mga lehitimong government forces noong sila ay maglagay ng unauthorized checkpoint doon sa lugar ng ambush,” Fajardo said.

(The suspects may have worn uniforms to make it appear that they are legitimate government forces when they set up unauthorized checkpoints in the ambush site.)

The suspects set the ambush by blocking a section of the street in front of the MV Duque Elementary School in Baretbet in Nueva Vizcaya.

Fajardo said this signifies that the ambush, which killed Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda and five others, was planned by the suspects.

Investigations also revealed that the suspects used a white Mitsubishi Adventure with a red license plate number SFN 713, indicating it was a government car.

Fajardo said that the said red license plate was found to be registered to a Isuzu truck owned by the Nueva Vizcaya State University, which has long been junked.

“Nandoon ito sa compound ng state university at malamang ay ninakaw ito at ginamit ng mga suspk para iligaw ang investigation,” she said.

(The car is at the compound of the university and the suspects probably stole the license plate and used it for their ambush to throw off the investigation.)

According to family members of the slain vice mayor, Fajardo said Alameda did not receive any death threat prior to the incident.

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Aparri vice mayor, 5 others killed in Nueva Vizcaya ambush

JPV