Still no suspect in Clarin mayor slay —police

Three days after the fatal attack that claimed the life of Clarin, Misamis Occidental Mayor David Navarro, the Central Visayas Police remains clueless on the identity of the suspects behind the ambush in Cebu City, Jonathan Andal reported on GMA News TV’s Balitanghali on Monday.

However, Region 7 police chief Brigadier General  Valeriano de Leon said that the five to 10 assailants who attacked Navarro might be members of an organized crime group considering the smooth plan of the ambush and the weapons that they carried.

The investigation is pursuing the angle of Navarro’s inclusion in President Rodrigo Duterte’s narco-list and his alleged connection with the Parojinog family of Ozamiz City who are also linked to the illegal drug trade.

Aside from this, the police are also looking into the possible association of Navarro to the Alferez robbery group who allegedly broke into a mall in Mandaue City last week.

Reports claimed that the Clarin mayor was allegedly its leader. It was discovered that both Navarro and the robbery group came from Misamis Occidental.

The robbers broke into the Mandaue City mall in Cebu province on October 19, while Navarro checked in at a hotel in Cebu City on October 22 to attend an economic workshop.

Police escorts from Cebu City police are also under investigation for not firing back at the assailants during the attack.

Despite De Leon’s conclusion, after the reenactment of the ambush that the attack happened so fast that these police escorts were not able to react properly, the Region 7 police will continue to investigate if there were security lapses.

Navarro’s family has expressed loss of interest in filing complaints over the death of the mayor and even in cooperating with its investigation.

“Di naman namin alam kung may justice ba talaga. Sino ba ang hihingian ko ng tulong nito? Pulis—pulis din naman yung kasama namin noong pinagbabaril (si Navarro),” sister of the Clarin mayor, Princess Navarro said. —Joviland Rita/LDF, GMA News