Ambush probers focus on drug angle

The Eastern Police District (EPD) said it was coordinating with Pasig Rep. Robert Jaworski Jr., who claimed that prior to killing of Internal Affairs Service (IAS) deputy chief investigator Chief Inspector Renato Marasigan, the official had disclosed the identities of policemen behind the operation of a raided shabu tiangge.

Jaworski said Marasigan had handed him a list and asked the chief inspector to provide concrete evidence of the involvement of the persons in the illegal drug trade.

EPD director Chief Superintendent Charlemagne Alejandrino is not discounting the possibility that Marasigan’s killing is linked to the slaying of former Pasig City Rep. Henry Lanot, who was ambushed in the city on April 13, 2005 at the Jade Palace Restaurant along Shaw Boulevard.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) Crime Laboratory has started conducting a cross matching of bullets recovered from three scenes of crime in Pasig City to determine if the killers used the same modus operandi or belong to the same group.

Chief Superintendent Ernesto Belen, PNP Crime Lab chief, said he has asked his forensic unit to determine whether or not the suspects were behind the murder of Marasigan, Lanot and businessman Leonardo Umale.

Before the ambush, Marasigan issued an open letter to his colleagues in Pasig, expressing disappointment over the discovery of the "shabu tiangge" in the heart of the city.

"The discovery of the shabu tiangge in the heart of Pasig City is history," the open letter stated. "Sadly and surely, said event will be remembered by people from all walks of life as a minus point for PNP members and local officials who are innocent as to how said drug trade flourished and prevailed."

Marasigan pointed out "the once famous yet already deteriorating Pasig "Elite" suddenly became the center of uncalled for criticism."

"The glory that we have managed to enjoy for almost two decades earned through the unselfish effort and able leadership of late General Romeo Peña, former chief of police and founding father of the Pasig "Elite" Police Brotherhood Association Inc., have plummeted to zero level," he added.

Marasigan said even before the discovery, the glory of the Pasig "Elite" had long faded.

"Today, nothing is left for the Elite but to nurture the embarrassment caused by some rogue cops operating within the station," he said.

Police yesterday released sketches of his killers.

"We have a witness, who gave a description of the gunmen and we have the driver of the passenger jeepney which the killers boarded," Alejandrino said.

He said investigators have yet to fully discuss the case with Marasigan’s wife.

"We have not talked to Mrs. Marasigan because she’s still in mourning. We want to find out from her everything the victim told her prior to the killing," Alejandrino said.

He said the investigation has been narrowed down to two angles — illegal drugs as stated in his letter and a land dispute, which could be clarified by his wife. – Non Alquitran