"I was informed by Camp Crame officials that the RPA-ABB admitted that the five suspects were their hit men and they asked us to respect their human rights," said Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, Mandaluyong City police chief.
The RPA-ABB is a faction, headed by Negros island-based Arturo Tabara, that broke away from mainstream communist movement led by Jose Maria Sison several years ago.
Police investigators have earlier suspected the five gunmen to be communist rebel hit men because of the way they shot PO2 John-John Justo dead.
Despite the RPA-ABB’s admission, the five — Randy Puno, Victor Valdez, Chito Catbagan, Jobert Dumlao and Ramonit Moralidad — chose to remain silent when confronted about their links during questioning. Puno appeared to be their leader. They were arrested Friday shortly after killing Justo.
Police filed charges of robbery with homicide, robbery-holdup with carnapping, three counts of frustrated homicide thru reckless imprudence, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and direct assault upon person of an agent in authority against them yesterday before the city’s prosecutor’s office.
Charged along with the five suspects were Rodolfo Tiopes, 52, a jeepney driver who owns the safehouse used by the suspects, and his daughter Erika.
The RPA-ABB entered into a peace agreement with the government during the term of President Joseph Estrada. The peace talks are being pursued by the Arroyo administration.
Velasquez said he would ask the government to bring to the RPA-ABB panel’s attention why their hit men were conducting operations while the peace talks were ongoing.
He said the five suspects were on their way to kill businessman Edwin Reyes when they encountered Justo in a jeepney.
They were already aboard when Justo got on. He got down upon sensing that they were armed. Police investigators initially thought that they were robbers.
Justo was on his way to the Mandaluyong City police headquarters to collect his P1,000 monthly allowance.
Reyes is the brother of former professional basketball player Eric Reyes.
Velasquez said Justo drew the suspects’ ire when he saw one of them and asked why he was armed. Justo realized that the man was not alone when the latter looked at the others.
Justo got off but the five followed and shot him in the chest without a word. They took his gun and mobile phone.
Witnesses said Puno walked to the fallen Justo and finished him off with a bullet in the head. Justo died on the spot.
The suspects commandeered a red Feroza from Manuel Sanchez, who turned out to be an agent of the National Bureau of Investigation, and sped off.
They abandoned the vehicle at the corner of Nueve de Pebrero and Martinez Streets when caught in a traffic jam.
The five were arrested in three separate operations conducted by the Mandaluyong City police.
They recovered four caliber .45 pistols, Justo’s 9-mm pistol and a.38 revolver owned by Sanchez from the suspect’s nearby hideout.
Velasquez said they recovered Justo’s phone from Erika Tiopes.
Police also confiscated a six-page surveillance report detailing Reyes’ movements, including a sketch of the area where the suspects reportedly planned to ambush him.
Accompanied by a policeman brother-in-law, Reyes went to Velasquez, surprised that the RPA-ABB wanted him dead.
"He was a hardworking and God-fearing businessman and has no quarrel with his employees," said Velasquez, referring to Reyes.
The five suspects denied planning to kill Reyes. Moralidad said his only job was to find safehouses for the RPA-ABB.
"I was told that they were only going to have a meeting. I didn’t know that they were hit men," he said, adding that the elder Tiopes was a close friend.