NBI closing in on suspects in Aurora newsman's slay

SAN FERNANDO CITY, Pampanga — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is reportedly closing in on the two suspects in the killing of a publisher-editor of a local newspaper in Dinggalan, Aurora last May 10.

This, despite the alleged disinterest of the police to pursue the case and lack of arrest warrants against all three suspects, which include Dingalan Mayor Jaime Ylarde, in the killing of Philip Agustin, publisher-editor of Starline News Recorder. Agustin was shot inside his home in Dingalan. The two other suspects — Noli "Boyet" Morete and Emmanuel Alday — have remained at large.

"No arrest warrants have been issued against the suspects arising from delays in the preliminary hearings because the mayor is one of the suspects," said a source from the NBI who requested anonymity. A month ago, murder charges were filed before the Aurora prosecutor’s office against the three.

But the NBI source expressed confidence that the two other suspects would soon be caught.

"They are holed up somewhere in the area of Casiguran in Aurora. With Morete in our hands, we can build up a stronger case to finally solve the killing of Agustin," he said.

The NBI is hunting down Morete based on previous arrest warrants issued against him for other crimes he allegedly committed before the murder of Agustin. He noted that Morete was also tagged in the killing of an army soldier and a policeman in separate incidents in previous years.

Alday has been in hiding though no arrest warrant has been issued against him.

"The police (in Aurora) seem to be reluctant to pursue Morete and Alday. So, we are pursuing at least Morete based on warrants of arrests issued in connection with his alleged involvement in the killing of the soldier and the policeman," the source also said.

Ylarde vehemently denied involvement in the murder of Agustin, who came up with exposes of alleged anomalies in the local government in Dingalan before he was shot dead inside his house.

The mayor and the two suspects were named by Morete’s cousin, Reynaldo Morete, who was arrested in Cabanatuan City a week after the murder. He implicated the mayor as the mastermind of the killing and the two other suspects as the gunmen. Agustin sustained two gunshot wounds apparently fired from two angles outside his home.

The NBI has confirmed that the Department of Justice has already approved the NBI’s recommendation to turn Reynaldo, who claimed he was the lookout during the murder, into a state witness.

Senior Superintendent Perfecto Palad, who was designated chief of Task Force Agustin soon after the murder, told The Star yesterday, however, that his operatives have lost track of both suspects.

"We have not disbanded the task force and we continue to welcome information on the whereabouts of the suspects, but we have other tasks to do," Palad said.

In an earlier interview, Ylarde said he would present a witness who would testify that Reynaldo was promised monetary considerations in exchange for implicating him in the murder case.