ANGELES CITY, Pampanga , Philippines – A newly formed police task force remains clueless over what happened from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. last June 2 wherein the brother of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor and two of his companions were murdered before their bodies were found Thursday morning in Barangay Pampang here.
Angeles police chief Senior Superintendent Danny Bautista told The STAR that the victims – Rene Tetangco, brother of BSP Governor Amando Tetangco, and his companions Florencio Yap and the latter’s aide Dennis Guinto – never made it last Thursday night to the King’s Poker and Sports Club along Fields Avenue here, although they were there on the evening of June 1 up to the wee hours of the next morning.
“There’s a three-hour gap we are looking into,” he said.
Bautista said the management of King’s Poker and Sports Club told probers that Tetangco and his companions arrived at their establishment at about 9 p.m. last June 1 (Tuesday) and played poker up to 4:45 a.m. the following day.
“After that Tetangco went home at Gemsville subdivision in San Fernando and at about 3 p.m. of the same day, he told his wife he would visit their poultry farm in Mexico, Pampanga,” he said.
At 6 p.m., Tetangco called up his wife to inform her that he was going to King’s Club to play poker. On the way, he reportedly picked up Yap and Guinto, who were playing bingo at Robinson’s mall in San Fernando.
Bautista said the sports club management told probers that Tetangco called them up at about 7 p.m. last Thursday to make reservations for food as he and his companions planned to play poker that night.
“They never showed up at King’s,” he noted.
Bautista said that three hours later at about 10 p.m., employees of Bavarian Lions Restaurant along Fields Avenue in Barangay Pampanga noticed a Ford Fortuner vehicle parked under an acacia tree on a nearby vacant lot and theorized that the occupants were on a date.
At about 8 a.m. the following day, however, restaurant security guard Joseph Maderaso saw the three victims with bullet wounds in the vehicle. The victims had multiple gunshot wounds in their heads and chest.
The vehicle was owned by Yap’s wife.
It wasn’t clear where Tetangco’s vehicle is, as he drove his car when he left home for his poultry farm before picking up Yap.
Bautista theorized that the three could have been killed elsewhere and that the suspect or suspects drove the vehicle to the vacant lot.
Tetangco’s body was in the front passenger seat, while Yap was at the rear seat and Guinto was on the floor of the back compartment.
“We are still awaiting laboratory reports on the trajectory of the bullets so we do not know whether they were shot inside the vehicle,” Bautista said.
Yap could have been the target
But Director Leon Nilo de la Cruz, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) strongly believes that Yap was the main target of the suspects.
De la Cruz said Tetangco and Guinto were killed to silence them.
“Our operatives are now tracking down one of the poker players monitored playing with the victim (Yap) that we believe has something to do with the murders,” said de la Cruz in an interview.
He did not identify the poker player but claimed that police operatives are presently hot on his trail.
Video footage from the casino showed that Yap entered King’s Poker Sports Club at about 9 p.m. last Tuesday and left the gambling premises at around 4:45 a.m. The same footage showed Tetangco following Yap inside the establishment.
Prior to the footage showing the two victims leaving the area, the video showed some personalities also playing poker, including a certain Shin, a Korean and owner of the gambling den, and barangay captain Bong Ferraris of Barangay Cutud, Angeles City.
Camp Olivas CIDG chief Senior Superintendent Marvin Bolabola said that the Yap angle is not yet conclusive but they are looking at it.
Robbery could be the real motive
Investigators are also not ruling out the possibility that robbery was the motive for the murders.
Operatives from police Station 5, located about 500 meters from where the vehicle was found, said all the victims did not have cellphones and wallets when their bodies were found.
Police said Tetangco and Yap are big time “sabungeros” and were seen on Tuesday leaving the Mexico cockfight arena before proceeding to the King’s Poker Club.
The victims, according to the police, could have won big money on poker, which could be the reason behind the killing.
All hands on deck
President Arroyo ordered the authorities yesterday to make sure to conduct a thorough and speedy investigation into the murders.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Charito Planas said the Palace was horrified by the incident.
“This (case) will be investigated thoroughly by the PNP and other authorities not because it’s high-profile but with the same dedication in resolving other cases,” Planas told a new briefing.
“We’re confident that due attention will be given to this case,” she said.
Yesterday, Central Luzon police director Chief Superintendent Arturo Cacdac Jr. formed Task Force Yap-Tetangco to further investigate the incident.
A police officer at Station 5 said that the vehicle, which bore no damage, was returned to the Yap family on the same day the bodies were found after police scene of the crime operatives (SOCO) and police laboratory personnel finished gathering pertinent evidence.
Cacdac’s deputy for operations, Senior Superintendent Wendy Rosario, will head the task force. Bautista was designated as deputy of Rosario.
The task force is composed of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit-3 (CIDU-3), Angeles City Police, PNP Crime Laboratory Office and the Regional Intelligence Unit-3 (RIU-3) and its regional chiefs.
“We are taking this action because we need to involve both the Angeles and the Pampanga police forces,” Cacdac said.
Probers have yet to come out with a list of suspects. – Ric Sapnu, Non Alquitran, Paolo Romero