Manhunt on for Indonesian priest's killers

Police in the entire Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) in northern Philippines are now looking for the four suspects behind the killing Sunday afternoon of Indonesian Catholic priest Fr. Francisco Madhu in Kalinga province. Philippine National Police (PNP) Task Force USIG commander Chief Superintendent Geary Barias said the Regional Task Force USIG in CAR has been alerted "to possibly intercept the suspects," three of whom were already identified. "They are now the subjects of a region-wide manhunt operation being carried out by tracker teams from the regional intelligence community of Police Regional Office Cordillera," Barias said. The three identified suspects are Nestro Wailan, Joel Awingan, and Acmor Bonggawon, all residing in Lubuagan town where the 31-year-old priest was shot dead. Wailan is the alleged gunman, who used an M16 rifle in shooting Madhu. Madhu and Wailan allegedly had a heated conversation over an unknown matter before the former was shot while inside the Mabungtot Primary School in Barangay Mabungtot where he was supposed to celebrate a mass. Madhu is the assistant parish priest of St. Paul and St. Peter Parishes in Kalinga. Police said a drunk Wailan shot Madhu at close range, hitting the stomach five times. He then left with his three companions toward Sitio Dugnac, Barangay Antonio Canao in Lubuagan. "We are considering the option to widen the dragnet operations to Regions I and II to get the suspects," Barias said. He disclosed that the investigation on the incident is headed now by the Regional TF USIG, supported by the Kalinga Police Provincial Office, the Cordillera Criminal Investigation and Detection Office, the Crime Laboratory, and the Regional Intelligence Office. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, thru the local diocese in Cordillera, as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Manila were already informed of the incident, said Barias. "I assure both the CBCP and the Indonesia Embassy of swift police action to solve the case, arrest the perpetrators, and serve the ends of justice to the late Fr. Madhu," said Barias, who also heads the PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management. TF USIG was created in May last year to investigate killings of activists, journalists, and government employees. - GMANews.TV