City police chief says
death of former Anakpawis leaders in Tacloban not extra judicial
killings
By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
July
22, 2007
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte
– The early Friday morning killing of Rogelio Picoy and early this
week of Charlie Solayao, are not extra judicial killings based on the
initial information taken from witnesses that both men started to get
death threats after they terminated their ties with the Anakpawis
group.
On Friday, Col. Romulo
Cleve Taboso informed that the Philippine National Police Tacloban
City already have positive leads as to the killing of former
Anakpawis chairman Rogelio Picoy which he said is connected with the
killing early this week of Charlie Solayao, also a former member of
the Anakpawis partylist.
Col. Taboso revealed
he has already dispatched members of the Tacloban City PNP
investigation section to follow up on the leads which were received by
the office and he has already requested for a comparative analysis of
the bullet shells retrieved from the Dacut, Solayao and Picoy
killings.
Col Taboso said that
the two killing incidents are connected considering that both victims
have both been former members of Anakpawis and both were killed with a
.45 caliber pistol just as Atty. Dacut was killed with a .45 caliber
pistol, last year.
Initial investigations
on the Picoy case only confirms the initial PNP assessment that point
out to internal rift within the organization as the cause of the
killings, Col. Taboso informed. This was gathered from the statement
of the wife of Picoy and the other witnesses, Col. Taboso said.
In a Radio interview,
the wife of Picoy said that his husband started receiving threats
since he resigned as chairperson of the Anakpawis Group and become
member of the Guardians Brotherhood.
The killing of Picoy
shed light on the cause of the killing of Charlie Solayao early this
week. Col. Taboso said and this only strengthened the determination of
the Philippine National Police to exert more efforts for the early
solution of both cases.
Col. Taboso called
on the public to remain calm in the light of these killings saying
that the same are just isolated cases and that the Philippine National
Police is in control of the situation.