Probers look into slain Manila cop's cases

MANILA, Philippines - Police investigators are examining the cases handled by slain Police Officer 1 Manuel Garcia in a bid to identify those behind his murder, an official said yesterday.

Manila Police District (MPD) homicide chief Senior Inspector Joey de Ocampo told The STAR that Garcia was a dedicated police officer who was jailed three years ago for accidentally killing a drug pusher in Pandacan. He was subsequently acquitted but his promotion was stalled, the reason why at 43 he still held the rank of Police Officer 1, De Ocampo said.

Another police officer said Garcia could have earned the ire of some people because of his tough stance against drug users and pushers. The Sta. Ana-Pandacan area has been the subject of police raids in the days before Garcia was shot dead Saturday.

Garcia was on his way home after doing the night shift at the Smokey Mountain police community precinct when a black sport utility vehicle with no license plates blocked his path at the corner of Pedro Gil and Purisima streets in Sta. Ana and its occupants started shooting him.

The attack on Garcia follows the death of PO2 Jesus Lapuz, who was killed when he accosted motorcycle-riding men following a tourist bus. Another policeman, SPO2 Teofilo Panfilo, was found floating in Manila Bay days after he was reported missing three weeks ago. He was reportedly killed by a criminal syndicate based in Isla Puting Bato in Tondo.