Cop, kidnap witness killed in DoJ safehouse

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines—A policeman and a witness in a kidnapping case were killed while a second witness was critically wounded when another policeman fired on them at a safehouse of the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program at Zamboanga’s Tetuan district Tuesday morning, police said.

Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, acting Zamboanga City police chief, said Police Officer 1 Tomas Dauba, who was assigned to guard the witnesses,  died instantly after Police Officer 3 Carmelito Macansantos, a member of the city police detailed at the DoJ Western Mindanao office, went on a rampage inside the safehouse after 7 a.m. .

Macansantos also shot Marvin Agullana and another witness, whose name the Philippine Daily Inquirer is withholding for security reasons, before fleeing.

The two witnesses were rushed to a hospital with bullet wounds in different parts of the body but Agullana died around 12:30 p.m., de Ocampo said.

He said Agullana and the other witness were preparing for a court hearing when Macansantos suddenly arrived on a motorcycle. They were to testify in a case filed against several suspects in the January 2009 abduction of businessman Eliseo Hablo, franchisee of Julie’s bakeshop here.

Hablo was freed in a police rescue operation February 2009 in which several suspects including lawyer Hasan Alam, former president of the Zamboanga Barter Traders’ Kilusang Bayan, Inc.; policemen PO3 Alwin Abdua and PO1 Marcial Lim, both assigned at the City Police Office; Satarnino Garcia, of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte; Harmon Endong, a native of R.T. Lim, Zamboanga Sibugay and temporarily residing in Southcom Village here; Joel Peña of Pasonanca; Joel Gonzales, of Southcom Village and Grace Alam, the lawyer’s wife, were arrested.

“Upon entering the safehouse, he (Macansantos) approached PO1 Dauba and uttered invectives against him. Dauba was trying to react to the assault but PO3 Macansantos had already drawn his pistol and shot Dauba several times. He also shot the two witnesses,” de Ocampo said.

He said Macansantos immediately fled but has sent surrender feelers.

De Ocampo said they were conducting a deeper investigation into the shooting incident.

Ricardo Cabaron, Zamboanga City chief prosecutor, declined to issue any statement on the shooting, saying he would wait for the results of the police investigation.