Police still clueless on Hataman consultant's killing

COTABATO CITY, Philippines  – Police are still clueless on who could have pulled off Wednesday’s gangland-style killing of a consultant of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao acting Gov. Mujiv Hataman.

Witnesses said the two men who killed Jesus Dillo, also known here as Raffy Nabre, casually left the scene onboard a motorcycle after shooting him thrice with .45-caliber pistol in Cotabato City.

Dillo was a supporter of Hataman when the latter represented the Anak Mindanao party-list group in the House of Representatives.

Hataman requested on Thursday the regional unit of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to help the Cotabato City police investigate the killing.

Apart from his consultancy job in the office of Hataman, Dillo was also actively involved in various projects complementing the peace process and programs meant to politically empower the region’s Muslim and non-Muslim indigenous folk.

Cotabato City Vice Mayor Muslimin Sema said he is worried about the killing, as he described Dillo as a “revolutionary” for his peace and development initiatives.           

“We condemn the murder of Mr. Dillo and we call on authorities to leave no stone unturned in determining the identities of the culprits and their real motive for killing an industrious development worker,” Sema said.

Members of the foreign-assisted Mindanao Think Tank, a group of peace activists supporting Malacañang’s peace overture with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, were also saddened by Dillo’s death.

The group’s chairman, lawyer Anwar Malang, the regional executive secretary, said while Dillo went underground when the country was under martial law, he had no known enemies since he rejoined the mainstream society as a community development and rehabilitation specialist.

Dillo was on his way home when one of two men riding a motorcycle shot him. He was rushed to the Cotabato Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival.