Bato orders Eastern Visayas cops: “Kill” PAGs in Samar

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Philippine National Police Chief Director General Roland “Bato” De la Rosa had ordered top police officials in Eastern Visayas to dismantle the private armed groups (PAGs) in Samar that have been sowing terror and killing barangay officials in the province.

In the presence of officials of the Police Regional Office-8, De la Rosa issued full authority to Senior Superintendent Elmer Pelobello, director of the Samar Provincial Police Office (SPPO) to destroy the PAGs in Samar otherwise he will be relieved from his post.

“Wala akong pakialam kung sinong politiko ang masasagasaan, at wala akong pakialam kung anong mga PAGs yan. Kung lalaban ang sino mang kriminal sa police, patayin mo kaagad, Basta, I am telling you na tapusin mo na ang problemang ito sa Samar, Kailangan mabigyan ng hustisya itong mga biktima,” Dela Rosa ordered Pelobello, also in front of the government officials from Calbayog City in Samar.

Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino together with 18 barangay chiefs from his city travelled to Palo, Leyte to have a personal audience with de la Rosa and PRO-8 Director, Chief Superintendent Elmer Beltejar and other top police officials in the region.

The Calbayog group had a 15-minute meeting with De la Rosa, who was Leyte for the celebration of the 115th Police Service Anniversary at the PRO-8 headquarters in Palo, Leyte.

Mayor Aquino and his village chiefs asked De la Rosa to help them neutralize the remaining members of the PAGs, headed by a certain Jimmy Managaysay, who are still operating in the mountain barangays of Calbayog and killing two barangay captains last week.

The mayor recounted the recent killing of two village chiefs—Estrella Olyado of Barangay Guinbaoyan Norte and her son, and Darwin Tan of Barangay Payahan—who were his political allies. He pinpointed Managaysay and his PAG were responsible for the murders, saying these were politically motivated, based on the text messages left behind by the victims before they were killed.

“What we are asking from the PNP is for it to create a special task force that will only focus its operations to a manhunt and arrest members of the PAGs, as well as file criminal charges against them. Jimmy Managaysay has several warrants of arrest, pero hindi sila mahuli-huli at dito pa tuloy sa Calbayog ang kanilang ginagawang kriminalidad,” Aquino told The Freeman.

De la Rosa and Beltejar assured the Calbayog officials that a special force will be created immediately to focus its operation against the PAGs. They said they will ask for the cooperation of the government’s anti-criminality forces, while the country is under of state of emergency due to lawless violence following the Davao City bombing weeks ago.

“I will order my regional director (Beltejar) to also coordinate with our partners in the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the manhunt operation against the PAGs. Our Regional Public Safety Batallion here will prioritize your problem in Calbayog. Just relax and always be safe,” De la Rosa told Aquino and the village chiefs.

De la Rosa further warned PAGs to surrender or face the fatal consequence. He said that the police force will not be hesitant to go after those behind the existence of PAGs no matter who they are in the society. “Surrender or die,” he declared.

In June 18 this year, two police officers of a tracker team were wounded in an encounter with a PAG, reportedly headed by Managaysay, in a remote and mountainous area of sitio Puso at Barangay Tapas in Calbayog City.

The mayor said that, since the latest killings, at least 700 families from eight barangays in Calbayog have evacuated to the city proper and sought refuge for fear that the PAGs will also struck at them.

“The Calbayog City government is now helping the evacuees for their foods and some were given a temporary livelihood,” Aquino said.

The mayor confirmed that for this year alone, eight barangay chiefs were murdered, and the perpetrators are still at-large even if they were already identified.

Cases have yet to be filed against them because the police failed to charge them due to the absence of witnesses. “I cannot imagine how things happened; some of the victims are helpless at walang naibibigay na justice,” he added.

Dela Rosa then urged the Samar officials and the PNP to unite and help each other, in achieving peace and order and end the senseless killings in Calbayog.

Aquino claimed that the PAGs in Calbayog are being supported by some politicians who he declined to identify to the media although it was apparent that he already told De la Rosa privately about them. — with reports from Eileen Nazareno Ballesteros (FREEMAN)