THE PNP yesterday tagged Aparri Mayor Bryan Dale Chan and eight others as “persons of interest” in the ambush slaying of Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda and five others in Nueva Vizcaya last February.
Lt. Col. Arbel Mercullo, officer-in-charge of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s Regional Field Unit 2, said aside from Chan, the other persons of interest are Dennis de Guzman, Freddie Molina, Marvin Rommel Paltao, Antonio Beltran Guzman, Rommel Pena, and Freddie Tapuro, Romeo Cortez, who are all security escorts of the mayor.
Mercullo identified the persons of interest as the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs conducted its first hearing on the assassination of Alameda and five others, and other measures related to peace and order.
Vice Mayor Alameda and his companions were on their way to attend the Vice Mayors’ League of the Philippine convention in Pasay City when they were waylaid by armed men in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya last February 19.
Also killed were John Duane Alameda, Abraham Ramos Jr., Ismael Nanay, Alvin Abel, and Alexander delos Angeles.
Mercullo said Darren Cruz Abordo, who was established as the owner of the gunmen’s escape vehicle, has been charged with six counts of murder, obstruction of justice, and violation of RA 8749 (Philippine Clean Air Act) before the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Prosecutors Office.
Police said Abordo allegedly burned the white Mitsubishi Adventure that was found along the Agrarian Reform Community Road in Barangay Uddiawan, Solano, Nueva Vizcaya. Abordo is at-large.
Mercullo did not disclose the basis for tagging Chan and his bodyguards so as not to compromise their ongoing investigation.
He instead requested an executive session with panel chairman Sen. Ronald dela Rosa and other members of the committee where he will divulge what investigators found out about Chan’s alleged participation in the assassination.
Elizabeth Alameda, wife of the slain vice mayor, said “politics” was behind the assassination of her husband.
She said Chan would not like the vice mayor to be the acting mayor once a suspension order is issued against him as there were charges filed before the Ombudsman and Sangguniang Panlalawigan against the mayor.
Instead, she added, Chan wants his father, the first councilor of Aparri, to be the acting mayor since under the rule of succession it will be the first councilor who will be the acting mayor if the vice mayor cannot perform the task.
Chan, who was present during the hearing, denied the accusation.
Elizabeth said they also received information that Chan will get back at the people who have filed cases against him before the Ombudsman and Sangguiniang Panlalawigan.
“He said during one of his meetings with the municipal employees that he will get back at the people who filed cases against him,” Elizabeth said.
Chan said: “Wala aking sinabing ganoon (I did not say that).”
Elizabeth said suspicions that Chan was allegedly involved in the killing were bolstered since the mayor did not even send condolences or sympathies to the families of the victims.
Chan said he did not visit the wake of the victims since he got information that the families would not want his presence since he is suspected to be involved in the assassination.
He said he posted his sympathies to the families on a Facebook page.
Rowell Alameda, brother of the slain vice mayor, slammed Chan for employing too many bodyguards brandishing high-powered firearms and roaming around the municipal compound, which he said scares people.
It was also found out during the hearing that a certain police officer Collado lends his “long firearm” to one of Chan’s bodyguards, which Sen. Raffy Tulfo said the local PNP should look into.
Chan said he allows one of his bodyguards to carry a firearm that is registered under his name, which Tulfo said was illegal.
Dela Rosa asked the local PNP to strictly implement the Firearms and Ammunition Law.
Tulfo said local policemen should be investigated for allegedly being remiss on their jobs.
The local PNP said Police Master Sgt. Nicolas Respicio Jr. has been slapped with administrative cases for failure to report to higher-ups the presence of a checkpoint manned by unknown men wearing “pixelized” camouflage in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, where Alameda and his colleagues were later ambushed.
