'Piting' breaks silence, says cops shot him in the back

The son of Caloocan Rep. Luis "Baby" Asistio insisted Wednesday night that policemen shot him in the back during a supposed drug bust in front of his house early this month.

"I never initiated a fight," Luis "Piting" Asistio III told The STAR, belying law-men's allegations that he tried to shoot them when they attempted to arrest him for possession of illegal drugs last April 5 in Dagat-Dagatan, Caloocan City.

The young Asistio said he is willing to submit himself to a lie-detector test to prove his claim.

As this developed, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) revealed that it has obtained the testimony of several independent witnesses which favored the claims of Asistio and his live-in partner Rosario Ortega, who was also wounded in the alleged raid.

The two claimed that they were shot without warning by members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who swooped down on the Asistio house without any warrant.

NBI Director Federico Opinion said they have conducted paraffin tests on Asistio to determine if he fired a gun. The tests, which he however said were not yet conclusive, yielded negative results.

Also, the NBI's medico legal has determined that Asistio was indeed shot in the back as evidenced by his wounds.

However, Opinion noted that the examination results were not yet conclusive as powder burns could easily be washed off. He explained that the gunshot wounds in Asistio's back could also mean that he turned around when shot at by lawmen or was fleeing from them.

"We are still investigating further," he said. "We need witnesses to determine what really happened."

Opinion refused to identify the witnesses they have found so far. He noted, though, that it was clear the CIDG agents lacked the needed warrant to arrest Asistio or barge into his house.

"We need to talk with these lawmen. They should cooperate with us and we are checking if they followed the required arrest process," he said.

The NBI has summoned Chief Inspector Rhodel Sermonia, who led the CIDG raiders in an alleged buy-bust operation targetting Asistio. Sermonia has insisted that the raid was purely a police effort to curb the spread of illegal drugs.

The police officer claimed that Asistio drew a pistol and fired at them when they tried to arrest him for possessing 214 grams of shabu and P3,000 of marked money as well as a pack of dried marijuana leaves.

But Asistio's father countered that he believed politics was the motive behind the shooting since Sermonia was a close associate of his political rival, Caloocan Mayor Reynaldo Malonzo.

Sermonia has denied this.

Opinion said they have similarly summoned Asistio's two alleged bodyguards who were included by the CIDG in the charge sheet they filed before the Department of Justice.

The names of the two were not readily available.

Meanwhile, Asistio and his live-in partner were already able to walk when The STAR interviewed them at the hospital Wednesday night.

Clad in medical gown and denim shorts, the two denied that they were engaged in the illegal drug trade.

"My family does not tolerate me when I have done something wrong. They have placed me in a rehab and I thank them for that," Asistio said. -- With Jose Aravilla, Mike Frialde, Gina Tabonares