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Soldier tagged in killing of Ilocos Sur cop, civilian
By Mar T. Supnad

BANTAY, Ilocos Sur – A female witness tagged a member of the Army’s 50th Infantry Battalion as the one who gunned down an Ilocos Sur policeman and a civilian last April 19, in a police line-up Wednesday. The witness pointed to the soldier, a certain Jake, from among 48 military personnel shown before her at the provincial police headquarters, as the gunman of SPO3 Joffrey Palacio and civilian Melchor Angala.

The witness said she had talked to the suspect prior to the shooting at the public market in Sta. Lucia town, said Senior Sup.t Virgilio Fabros, Ilocos Sur police director.

On the night of April 19, Insp. Joseph Cabreros, then the Sta. Lucia police chief, and three of his men responded to reports about the presence of armed men in a beerhouse, who turned out to be members of the 50th IB.

A misunderstanding allegedly ensued between the policemen and the soldiers when Cabreros questioned the military men for brandishing their firearms.

Apparently insulted, the soldiers left, but returned minutes later and fired shots. Lt. Col. Manning Tawantawan of the 5th Infantry Division and Lt. Col. Roy De Vesa of the 50th IB presented their men before the joint probe of the Army and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to dispel suspicions of a cover-up in the case.

“We are pursuing the angle that Jake, an alleged member of the Armed Forces deployed in Catayagan, Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur had an altercation with Palacio prior to the incident,” Fabros said.

Chief Insp.r Ricarte Marquez, the lead investigator, said the case against Jake would be finalized.

Fabros withheld the suspect’s identity pending a thorough probe and the possibility that more witnesses would come forward.

Maj. Gen. Melchor Dilodilo, commander of the Army’s 5th Infantry Division, said they “won’t condone any wrongdoing among our men (if they are found guilty).”

“We were even the ones who offered that a police line-up be done for the witnesses to (identify who among) my men shot the two,” he said.

“It is wrong to claim that we are not cooperating. In fact, I even urged the Provost Marshall to push for the joint investigation (with the CIDG) to punish whoever is at fault,” he added.

Senior Supt. Marvin Bolabola, CIDG-Region 1 chief, said they had difficulty with the witnesses, who were guest relations officers in the beerhouse where the shooting happened, as they had transferred to Candon City. “We are now tracking them down,” he said.