CIDG-12 report clears escorts of winning bet from murder in NCotabato

KIDAPAWAN CITY– A police investigation report on the killing of a supporter of a political rival has cleared Congresswoman-elect Nancy Catamco of North Cotabato’s second district, a political officer said Saturday. Jun Obello said the General Santos City-based Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) investigation report regarding the killing of a supporter of outgoing Congressman Bernardo Piñol Jr., has ‘vindicated’ Catamco. He said the report released on May 19 by the CIDG-Region 12 affirmed Cantamco’s claim that her security escorts had nothing to do with the killing on May 10 of Johnny Magbanua, a staunch supporter of Piñol. In several media interviews, Piñol had claimed Cantamco’s bodyguards shot and killed Magbanua, when he and his companions were trying to retrieve the leaflets and other campaign materials being distributed along the highway in Kidapawan City by the supporters of his rival. Yet, when the paraffin test results from the Crime Laboratory of the Philippine National Police (PNP) – also in General Santos City – came out, Catamco’s escorts turned negative of gunpowder nitrates residue. Catamco’s security personnel were Cpl. Wilfred Arcayna and Pfc. Aladin Lopez of the 57t5h Infantry Battalion, Police Officer 2 Aclan Macuse and Police Officer 1 Ronald Bation Sillote of the North Cotabato Provincial Police Office. Reports from the CIDG-12 said hours after Magbanua’s killing, Catamco’s bodyguards voluntarily surrendered their firearms for ballistic examination and submitted themselves to paraffin tests. CIDG-12 regional director Sr. Supt. Pedro Austria said the empty shells they had recovered from the crime scene did not match the firearms of Catamco’s men. At least 15 empty shells from caliber-5.56 and one slug from a caliber-.45 pistol were recovered from three different sites, just few meters from the house of Catamco, located along McArthur Street in the city. The CIDG-12 investigation report showed that on May 11, at least 18 people, including Catamco’s escorts and supporters and five of Piñol’s supporters, were subjected to paraffin examination by the PNP Crime Laboratory. Of the 18, only one turned positive to nitrates residue, which Austria identified in his report as a certain Efren Albaera Rivera, one of Piñol’s supporters. Citing as basis the crime sketch analysis of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) in North Cotabato and the paraffin tests of the PNP Crime Lab, Sr. Supt. Austria has concluded that it is likely that Rivera was responsible for the killing of Magbanua. “Sa tingin ko, ‘di niya [Rivera] sinasadya na nabaril at napatay niya ang mismo niya’ng kasama [It is possible that Rivera did not intend to shoot and kill his own companion]," said Austria in a radio interview. Rivera has denied the allegations saying the CIDG-12 report was released to cover-up a crime. Rivera was even surprised to know he turned positive to gunpowder nitrates residue when he was not even carrying a gun during the incident. “I was just driving my motorcycle. I had two passengers at the back. We were moving so fast at that time because we were being fired at. So how can I fire a gun at the same time drive a motorcycle?" said Rivera. Piñol said he will request the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from the Davao region to investigate the case. “This CIDG-12 report is lopsided, highly questionable. So I want a more credible institution, the NBI, to dig deeper into the issue so that truth would come out," said Piñol in a radio interview. — LBG, GMANews.TV