Cops closing in on Albano killers

Police said they have identified the mastermind behind the killing of Ilagan, Isabela Mayor Delfinito Albano, two days after he was gunned down by three masked men in a restaurant in Quezon City.

Chief Superintendent Nicasio Radovan, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, said investigators are already building an airtight case against the suspect. He said those responsible will be identified in a later announcement.

Radovan said they identified the suspect through the possible motives in the killing.

He refused to provide more details, citing the ongoing police operations against the suspects.

Sources, however, revealed the police investigators had focused on the alleged links of Albano to the Asuncion Felomina Command of the communist New People’s Army (NPA) based in Cagayan Valley.

Sources said the NPA hit squad carried out the murder of a member of a powerful political clan in the region in 2004 with Albano allegedly ordering the hit.

The source said one of the supposed NPA assassins, who was later captured by the military, tagged Albano as the one who ordered the execution of the rival political clan member as punishment for a "crime."

"The NPA executioner (was) killed and some (were) arrested by the military and (confessed to) the involvement of Albano… Guns used (in the killing were) also recovered," the source said.

The NPA link theory being pursued by investigators was further bolstered by the statement made by the National Democratic Front (NDF), the communist umbrella organization based in Cagayan Valley, condemning the murder and calling Albano a "champion of the masses."

The NPA earlier admitted to have implemented its brand of revolutionary justice for the killing of a member of a powerful political clan who they had accused of various crimes, including drug trafficking.

The rebels said the clan member had killed one his tenants and forcibly collected more than the allotted share from his other tenants.

The source said the slain clan member has joined forces with other political families in a tactical alliance against Albano who perceived the mayor as a political threat.

Aside from the vendetta and political angle, police investigators are also looking into the involvement of known drug traffickers in Cagayan Valley as the possible motive for the killing.

There were also reports quoting some sources that said Albano was the victim of a crime of passion.

Albano was driving his Isuzu Trooper along Scout Santiago street when three gunmen in a white Toyota Revo blocked his way and opened fire on his vehicle.

Albano was able to survive the initial volley of automatic gunfire and ran from the van.

The three gunmen, one of them armed with an MP5 submachine gun, chased Albano as he entered nearby Cafe Estela in Scout Lascano street to seek cover.

One of then the assailants coolly reloaded his MP5, discarding the empty clip on the pavement before following the mayor inside the restaurant to finish him off.

It was the second attempt on the life of Albano who survived an earlier ambush in November 2004.

In GMA television footage taken on Nov. 21, 2004, Albano was heard saying his campaign against illegal drugs was behind the earlier assassination attempt.

Albano had earned a reputation for being tough on drug trafficking in his town.

The 48-year-old mayor earlier left Isabela to visit his half-brother, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairman Rodolfo Albano, who was reportedly confined to a hospital.

The mayor was supposed to return to Isabela on the day he was waylaid.

Police said Albano was on his way to his townhouse in San Juan to rest late Tuesday when he got a text message that prompted him to change course.

Investigators said they are looking into the possible involvement of the person who sent the text message.

The Albano family, on the other hand, appealed to the public not to speculate on the motives of the killing.

The elder Albano and ERC chairman said investigators should be given a free hand to do their job and determine his younger brother’s killers.

Isabela Rep. Rodito Albano III also called on the public to avoid speculating on the killing of his uncle.

He said speculations could mislead authorities in the investigation.

"I appeal to everyone to leave the solution of the matter to our authorities, who are now probing the matter, and allow the justice system to prevail," the Isabela lawmaker said. - With Jess Diaz, Charlie Lagasca, Artemio Dumlao