Relative of beheaded victim wants protection

For fear of their lives, relatives of one of the beheaded teenage boys are now asking for protection from possible reprisal against them by the still unidentified killers.

The relatives expressed their apprehension after learning that a number of policemen were being linked to the beheading of Kenny Azana, 16, Rolando Pupanes, 18 and a still unidentified boy.

"We are asking for protection because we don’t know what the killers are planning against us," Eva Azana-Lozada, auntie of Azana, told The STAR.

In a telephone interview, Lozada expressed optimism that Central Police District (CPD) director Senior Superintendent Rodolfo Tor would grant their request for protection because "our security is at risk."

"Despite some policemen being implicated, we still believe there are other good policemen who could protect us from the bad ones," Lozada averred. She, however, noted that they have yet to receive any threats so far "but we better be sure of the security of all the members of our family."

Tor earlier belied reports of the alleged arrest of three policemen implicated in the beheading case, saying "it’s all too premature to consider these policemen as suspects because we can’t see any concrete link between them and the killing." – Cecille Suerte Felipe and Nikko Dizon