Task Force USIG Says: Bayan Muna leader slain by uncle, not policeman

Contrary to what a militant group alleged, a policeman was not behind the killing of a Bayan Muna coordinator in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro in 2001, but his own uncle, Task Force Usig said yesterday.

Task Force Usig is a special police unit tasked to investigate the killings of militant leaders and mediamen.

Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, head of Task Force Usig, said their finding disproved the claim of the human rights group Karapatan that a law enforcer was behind the 2001 killing of Bayan Muna coordinator Ramon "Bong" Ternida in Calapan City.

Razon said it turned out that Ternida’s alleged killer was his own uncle, Nicanor Jocson, who repeatedly stabbed him to death.

Jocson was arrested and charged with homicide on July 23, 2002. However, the case against him was dropped because Ternida’s family, together with two witnesses, withdrew.

"This finding is contrary to Karapatan’s claim that a police agent was behind the killing," Razon said.

He said Karapatan has been blaming government security forces for such killings without first verifying the facts.

He said Karapatan showed the same "voluntary ignorance" in the case of Edwin Mascarinas, an Anakpawis leader and its coordinator in Southern Tagalog, who the militant group claimed was murdered by soldiers but who turned out to be "very much alive."

Mascarinas was himself astonished when police investigators informed of his supposed death.

"Karapatan’s inaccurate criticisms against the government are unfair and unjust. They even included in their tally of political killings the members of the Abu Sayyaf who were killed in the ‘Bicutan siege’ last year," Razon said.