Two cops say ex-cop did not kill journalist

Two more policemen from Pagadian City testified in court yesterday that it was not ex-policeman Guillermo Wapille who shot dead journalist Edgar Damalerio three years ago.

SP02 Eduardo Dablo and P01 Arnel Buhisan were presented in the witness stand by defense counsel Honorato Hermosisima Jr. to destroy the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses who positively identified Wapille as the gunman.

Dablo told Regional Trial Court judge Ramon Codilla Jr. that their witness Rudy Garcia identified a certain Ronnie Kilme -a fugitive in Pagadian City who has a pending strings of cases in court- as the one who shot Damalerio on the evening of March 13, 2002.

Buhisan said he and two other policemen quickly responded to the crime scene just a few minutes after the shooting because the place is only located about 100 meters-away from the police station.

He said he asked Damalerio's companions Edgar Amoro and Edgar Ongue whether they were able to identify the assailant, but one of them said no.

Buhisan also contradicted the testimonies of prosecution witness Ongue that the assailant -who was on a on a motorcycle- chased Damalerio and made a U-turn after shooting him.

Buhisan said one of Damalerio's companions even told the responding policemen that the assailant sped away in the same direction and suddenly made a right turn upon reaching a corner.

After 30 minutes, the team of Buhisan decided to return to their police station and saw Wapille there.

Government prosecutor Fernando Gubalane asked Buhisan to comment on the possibility that Wapille was already at the police station 30 minutes after Damalerio was shot because the crime scene is just near the station, but Hermosisima objected to the question.

In today's continuation of the trial, the defense said they will present a man who "really saw" what happened in Damalerio's murder.

Damalerio, who used to be the editor of the Zamboanga Scribe based in Pagadian City and a broadcaster of radio station dxKP, was shot dead while driving his jeep in Pagadian City.

The trial of the case was transferred to Cebu for fear of the safety of the witnesses if the trial is held in Mindanao, Amoro who was shot dead by still unidentified men.

Ongue also said Wapille's relatives threatened him after he refused to accept their bribe in exchange not to testify against the ex-policeman.