Ex-cops face raps for murder of Pinay, Israeli

MANILA, Philippines — Two counts of murder against two former police officers and other suspects in the killing of Pampanga beauty queen Geneva Lopez and her Israeli boyfriend Yitshak Cohen are expected to be filed in the next few days.

At a news briefing at Camp Crame yesterday, the former police officers implicated in the crime were identified as Michael Guiang, allegedly the mastermind whose motive was rooted in a land dispute, and Rommel Abuso.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil revealed that the two former police officers held the rank of patrolman.

Investigation showed that Guiang had pawned a piece of land to Lopez who refused to return it, according to Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) director Maj. Gen. Leo Francisco.

Lopez and Cohen were supposed to meet Guiang and Abuso, who was introduced as a potential buyer of the land, according to Francisco.

During the meeting, the couple was shot by the two suspects.

“It was a planned activity. One day before the incident, Guiang and Abuso discussed their plan to kill the couple,” Francisco said.

He added that Guiang had borrowed money from Lopez and could not pay it back. Lopez then wanted to take the parcel of land pawned to her by Guiang. Abuso, posing as a buyer, would then have paid Lopez the money Guiang owed.

He added that they are collecting more evidence and statements to support the murder charges against Guiang, Abuso and other unidentified suspects.

The CIDG chief detailed that the crime was committed within a day, with the victims being shot inside a vehicle that was later found burned.

Francisco confirmed that the two former police officers were arrested for illegal possession of firearms and explosives, and forensic cross-matching is underway.

He also mentioned that a prime witness, only identified as “Jun Jun” was initially involved in the crime, but had a change of heart and approached the CIDG to provide information about the incident.

The witness was present with Abuso during the crime and has been crucial in piecing together the sequence of events, according to Francisco.

At the same briefing, Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos expressed dismay over the involvement of former police officers in the crime.

“It is painful because these are people paid by the government to protect us. Although they were AWOL (absence without official leave) and dismissed from service, they still took an oath to protect, and now they’re killing people. This is why it’s crucial to have mechanisms to filter out scalawags,” Abalos said.

Marbil noted that while the suspects are in custody, the case cannot be considered closed until the charges are officially filed before the court.

“On our part, we have gathered all the evidence,” he said.

Abalos assured the public that efforts are ongoing to cleanse the ranks of the PNP.

“We are really cleansing the ranks here. These two individuals were removed from service a long time ago, but it’s frustrating and painful. However, 99 percent of our police force are heroes, sacrificing their lives for the public,” he said.