Floirendos welcome probe on killing

The Floirendo clan welcomed yesterday the investigation into the killing of a peasant leader in a public market in Panabo City, Davao del Norte last Monday night "to find out the truth and identify the perpetrators."

In a statement, lawyer Richard Uayan, spokesman of the Floirendos, said, "We only hope that all parties, including the victim’s supposed allies, will be open to the investigation as well."

This developed as police asked colleagues and relatives of Enrico Cabanit not to pinpoint the blame on the Floirendos.

"The investigating team are still conducting follow-up operations, scrutinizing details available, to unveil the motive behind the killing that could somehow help identify the perpetrators," said Superintendent Samuel Gadingan, police chief of Panabo City.

Police reports said Cabanit, 54, secretary-general of the Pambansang Ugnayan ng Nagsasariling Lokal na Organisasyon sa Kanayunan (Unorka) and a farmer-representative of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, died from four gunshot wounds in the head.

Uayan said Cabanit’s death is being used as a propaganda tool by certain sectors.

"We must remember that the cases in which Cabanit and the Floirendos had figured in the past had been resolved amicably. Therefore, he was no longer relevant to those cases and the only people benefiting from this are the ones who want to create a new issue," he added.