Body of decorated cop found in Rizal, says PNP

MANILA, Philippines - Barely three weeks after he was reported to have been held hostage in Taguig City, the body of a bemedalled police officer was discovered in a landfill in Rodriguez town in Rizal province, the spokesman for the Philippine National Police said Friday. In a press briefing, Chief Superintendent Nicanor Bartolome said PNP Crime Laboratory personnel confirmed the recovered body was that of PO2 Jamaron Sandag, who earned the moniker "Liberator of Siocon" for his exploits. The confirmation was based on Sandag's dental records, Bartolome said. Bartolome said the confirmation of Sandag’s death prompted Director General Jesus Verzosa, PNP chief, to create a special investigation group tasked to go after the perpetrators of the crime. "This is a very sad chapter of the PNP because we lost a medal of valor awardee," Bartolome said. Bartolome said the body was discovered on Landfill Road in Barangay San Isidro on March 16. The body was immediately taken to the Crime Laboratory over suspicions that it belonged to Sandag who went missing since the Taguig hostage-taking incident on February 25. He said Sandag appeared to have been shot in the head as revealed by a hole found in his skull. Probers have yet to establish whether or not Sandag was tortured since the cadaver was already in advance state of decomposition when found. Personal grudge Bartolome said the initial information given by Sandag’s wife was that the hostage-taking and the subsequent killing of her husband could be the result of a personal grudge. The official, however, would not elaborate. "Initially the motive being looked into is personal grudge, but of course the investigation will also look into other possible motives," Bartolome said. He added that the information revealed by Sandag's wife would help in the resolution of the case. Task Force Sandag is composed of elements from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), Aviation Security Group, Southern Police District, Rizal Provincial Police Office and Crime Laboratory. It will be headed by Senior Superintendent Isagani Nerez, chief of the CIDG-National Capital Region. Sandag, who was assigned to the Aviation Security Group prior to the incident, was awarded the Medalya ng Kagitingan in 2007 for fiercely defending the Siocon Municipal Police Station from Moro rebels and Abu Sayyaf bandits who tried to lay siege on the police station and nearby municipal hall in May 2003 until police and military reinforcements arrived. The Medalya ng Kagitingan is equivalent to the Medal of Valor in the military, which is the highest award for combat. - GMANews.TV