Double-cross, not NPA vendetta, eyed in slay of ex-Army major

TARLAC CITY - Despite Communist rebels' owning of the ambush-slay of discharged Army Maj. Leodegario Adalem and his driver-aide last Tuesday, police here are still pursuing double cross by Adalem's associates as an angle behind the slay.

Superintendent Tito Bayangos, the city police chief, said that based on the manner that Adalem and former National Bureau of Investigation asset Tomas Pangilinan were killed, it appeared that the ex-soldier knew the identities of their assailants.

SPO4 Arthur Antonio, chief city police investigator, said they noticed that the window of Adalem's air-conditioned car was rolled down before the killing.

As Adalem is known to be averse to talking to strangers, police investigators said this could have only meant that the assassins were no strangers to him.

Superintendent Pepito Antang, chief of the provincial anti-crime group, also doubted that the killers were Communists. He pointed out that hitmen of the New People's Army usually kill only their primary target and try not to harm any innocent civilian.

Antang said it was unusual for the NPA to kill an innocent civilian like Pangilinan, who was trying to run away when shot dead.

Bayangos disclosed that Adalem was one of the bidders for some project components of the multibillion-peso Balog-balog dam project of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) in San Jose, Tarlac.

The police gathered that a few weeks ago, Adalem had a heated argument with a woman engineer of the NIA and that he reportedly slapped her face several times.

Adalem was also accused of land-grabbing in his hometown of Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija.

Earlier, Superintendent Maximo Calimlim, Tarlac provincial police director, said that they were also looking into Adalem's alleged involvement in several criminal activities in the province.

The former soldier was linked to two gun-for-hire syndicates here, the Pugad Lawin and the Bagay gangs, which were also involved in gunrunning and kidnapping. The gang members are mostly discharged policemen and soldiers.

Calimlim added that information from Camp Crame further revealed that Adalem was listed in the PNP's Order of Battle.

Before Adalem and Pangilinan were killed, witnesses said one of the assailants shouted: "Walang makikialam, mga NPA kami. Si Adalem lang ang kailangan namin (Don't interfere, we are NPAs. We are after Adalem only)!"

Shortly after the incident, the NPA-Josepino Corpuz command claimed responsibility for the killing.

The rebels claimed that "revolutionary justice" was meted to Adalem for the murder of Ifugao tribal leader Macli-ing Dulag in 1980. Dulag had led his tribesmen in opposing the Chico River hydroelectric project in the Cordilleras.