CEBU, Philippines - A 65-year-old former rebel, Romeo Capalla, who was the younger brother of Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants Saturday evening at the public market in Oton town of Iloilo.
Senior Insp. Jigger Gimeno, Oton Police chief, said two or three persons backed up the gunmen while manning two motorcycles, which served as their getaway vehicles. They then fled towards the direction of Tigbauan town.
Capalla was rushed to Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City but was pronounced dead on arrival. He succumbed to two gunshot injuries on the head.
Gimeno said Capalla was to fetch his mother-in-law who was tending their store at the town's market when the incident happened. The victim was board chairman of the Panay Fair Trade Center (PFTC), which is into selling natural and organic products like muscovado sugar and ginger tea for local and international markets.
An hour after Capalla was shot, a brown sugar mill of the Katilingban sang Magsasaka sa Dabong (KAMADA II) in Barangay Dabong of Janiuay, Iloilo was set on fire. The four suspects immediately fled after the incident. The burnt facility was donated by an Italian NGO, with its products exported to Italy.
Senior Supt. Cornelio Salinas, Iloilo Police provincial director, ordered investigators to dig deeper into the killing, as he called on witnesses to help in coming up with computer-generated facial composites of the suspects.
A special investigation task group (SITG), headed by Salinas with the CIDG-Iloilo chief as his deputy, was immediately created to run after the killers of Capalla and look into the motives of the killing. The victim was a former ranking leader of the NPA in Panay.
The Salinas group will be working in tandem with SITG Capilastique, which was earlier formed to probe the killing of Demetrio Capilastique, the leader of the armed faction of the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa-Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPM-P/RPA-ABB) in Panay island, who was gunned down last December.
Salinas opted not to elaborate on the tandem but sources said both teams are considering the possibility of the same brains behind Capilastique and Capalla's killings.
While police investigators have yet to name the suspects, human rights group Karapatan accused the military of killing Capalla. Reylan Vergara, Karapatan-Panay secretary general, recalled alleged trumped up charges against the former rebel.
Capalla was arrested in August 2005 for arson of a construction firm in Guimbal, Iloilo a year before that. He was however released after spending 32 days in jail. Also accused with Capalla was Fernando Baldomero, who was also killed July 5, 2010. Baldomero was then councilor of Lezo, Aklan and provincial chairman of Bayan Muna.
The 3rd Infantry Division however denied that it had something to do with Capalla's death. "We don't tolerate such acts. We also want a speedy investigation with the hope of bringing the suspects to jail," said 3rd ID spokesman Major Ray Tiongson.
A source, who requested anonymity, said investigators could look into several angles in the killing. "Capalla was a ranking leader of NPA and investigators could consider the possibility that the rebel group might have something to do with the killing. Second, we have to consider the probability that he just severed his ties with the NPA in name only. He could still be working for them," the source said, adding that, "Maybe, Capalla's death was a retaliatory act."
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Arnold Quiapo, commander of the 301st Infantry Brigade, believed that internal strife or conflict within the NPA could have played a role in Capalla's death. "If we wanted to neutralize Capalla, we would have run after him legally and put him behind bars. We prosecute people through the legal process," he said.
"After all, who has a history of killing their enemies without the benefit of hearing their side?" Quiapo added.