Cops in Dacer slay case hunted by NBI agents

The National Bureau of Investigation is set to track down a ranking police officer and 17 others in connection with the kidnapping and murder of publicist Salvador "Buby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito last November.

NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco said they are just waiting for the warrants to be issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court for the arrest of Senior Superintendent Glen Dumlao, Chief Inspector Boy Arnado, Inspector Bobby Lancauan, Senior Police Officer 4 Boy Caladuan, SPO4 Mauro Torres, one SPO3 Villanueva, SPO1 Mario Sarmiento, SPO1 William Reed, SPO1 Ruperto Nemeno, one PO3 Lacasandile and PO2 Thomas Sarmiento.

Also being tracked down are civilians Crisostomo Ortigacion, Digo de Pedro, Renato Malabanan, Margarito Cueno, Rommel Ryal and two unidentified men, the NBI said.

The NBI filed double murder and kidnapping charges against the suspects in connection with the disappearance of Dacer and Corbito in the Manila RTC last Friday.

The NBI filed the charges on the basis of the testimonies of state witnesses Jimmy Lopez, his brother William and Alex Diloy, who were also accomplices to the crime.

Notably absent from the list of suspects was Senior Suprintendent Teofilo Viña, the former head of PAOCTF-Visayas, allegedly the one who coordinated the kidnapping and brutal double murder.

The Lopezes and Diloy tagged Viña as the team leader of the PAOCTF agents who were implicated in the double-murder and who also issued the caliber. 45 automatic that was recovered from Lopez.

But the NBI has admitted that its evidence against Viña is based on "hearsay."

As PAOCTF-Visayas chief, Viña used to report to retired Philippine National Police and PAOCTF head Director General Panfilo Lacson, who is now running for the Senate.

It will be recalled that the NBI had subpoenaed Viña last month to shed light on the case. However, he declined the bureau’s invitation.

Dacer and his driver were abducted by four armed men while the publicist was en route to his office at the Manila Hotel where he was to meet former President Fidel Ramos, one of his clients.

Dacer and Corbito were abducted by armed men at the intersection of South Superhighway and Zobel Roxas street in Manila at around 11 a.m. on Nov. 24.

Dacer’s white Toyota Revo was later found dumped in a shallow ravine in Cavite but police did not reveal if forensic evidence was ever found on the vehicle.

According to Diloy and Lopez, six PAOCTF agents later delivered the two victims to a garage owned by Jimmy’s brother William on the evening of Nov. 24.

Jimmy admitted that he gathered wood and discarded car tires for a funeral pyre along a creek at Barangay Bona Lejos I in Indang Cavite, an area residents tagged as a usual site for summary executions.

After Jimmy gathered the wood and tires, the two bound and gagged victims were brought to the site at around 8 p.m.

William Lopez strangled Dacer with a length of wire while another suspect, Digo de Pedro, strangled Corbito and later doused their bodies with petrol and set them afire.

Both Diloy and Lopez led NBI agents to the scene of the crime where they found charred bones and teeth which were later identified by experts to belong to Dacer and Corbito.

The Lopezes and Diloy later tagged 13 other co-conspirators but authorities have yet to establish the motive or mastermind of the gruesome crime.

The NBI invited no less than former Presidents Fidel Ramos and Joseph Estrada, both client-friends of Dacer, to reveal what information they may have had.