CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – A family that lost two members and a friend to a shooting rampage here last Saturday has accused the police of protecting the suspect, a member of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, who has not surfaced in the last four days.
The relatives raised the suspicion as their brother Jefferson Salonga, 24, died at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday or some four hours before the burial of their father, Melanio, 49. The third victim, Mark John Manalese, 20, will be buried on Sunday.
Senior Supt. Marvin Bola-Bola, chief of the CIDG in Central Luzon, said a tracker team has been “on the heels” of the suspect, Benedicto Pasiguen, a non-uniformed personnel of the CIDG.
Bola-Bola said the police were going to take Pasiguen soon as the city prosecutor issues an arrest warrant over complaints for double murder, frustrated murder, attempted murder and grave threats against Pasiguen.
Bola-Bola said Pasiguen reached him by phone last Monday and gave surrender feelers.
Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz, said another task force, led by Pampanga police commander Senior Supt. Gil Lebin, has been helping locate Pasiguen.
Reports received by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pampanga, which has been providing free legal assistance to the relatives of the victims, said Pasiguen has already yielded to Lebin, his former boss.
Lebin on Wednesday said he still has no custody of the suspect.
“We have asked the police to help us secure justice by getting the suspect and making him face the law. It’s been four days and we haven’t seen a shadow of Pasiguen. It seemed he’s being protected. Is that because he’s one of them?” said Eden de Guzman, a daughter of Melanio. De Guzman works at a mediation center of a regional trial court here.
Her mother Evelyn, an assistant secretary at the IBP-Pampanga, is a prime witness in the case. Evelyn and Melanio rushed to the grill bar where Jefferson and Mark John fled to safety after they figured out in a quarrel with Pasiguen’s friend, Alex Briones.
Evelyn said the suspect shot Melanio thrice on the chest as he tried to pacify the situation. The two young men were shot on the forehead.
Lawyer Paul Maglalang, IBP-Pampanga secretary, asked regional police authorities to impose sanctions on members of the Pampanga police for their “inaction.”
The grill bar is located just beside the camp and Pasiguen ran to it without being arrested, Maglalang said.
Briones was arrested on Saturday night and is detained at the San Fernando jail here.
The relatives raised the suspicion as their brother Jefferson Salonga, 24, died at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday or some four hours before the burial of their father, Melanio, 49. The third victim, Mark John Manalese, 20, will be buried on Sunday.
Senior Supt. Marvin Bola-Bola, chief of the CIDG in Central Luzon, said a tracker team has been “on the heels” of the suspect, Benedicto Pasiguen, a non-uniformed personnel of the CIDG.
Bola-Bola said the police were going to take Pasiguen soon as the city prosecutor issues an arrest warrant over complaints for double murder, frustrated murder, attempted murder and grave threats against Pasiguen.
Bola-Bola said Pasiguen reached him by phone last Monday and gave surrender feelers.
Chief Supt. Leon Nilo de la Cruz, said another task force, led by Pampanga police commander Senior Supt. Gil Lebin, has been helping locate Pasiguen.
Reports received by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Pampanga, which has been providing free legal assistance to the relatives of the victims, said Pasiguen has already yielded to Lebin, his former boss.
Lebin on Wednesday said he still has no custody of the suspect.
“We have asked the police to help us secure justice by getting the suspect and making him face the law. It’s been four days and we haven’t seen a shadow of Pasiguen. It seemed he’s being protected. Is that because he’s one of them?” said Eden de Guzman, a daughter of Melanio. De Guzman works at a mediation center of a regional trial court here.
Her mother Evelyn, an assistant secretary at the IBP-Pampanga, is a prime witness in the case. Evelyn and Melanio rushed to the grill bar where Jefferson and Mark John fled to safety after they figured out in a quarrel with Pasiguen’s friend, Alex Briones.
Evelyn said the suspect shot Melanio thrice on the chest as he tried to pacify the situation. The two young men were shot on the forehead.
Lawyer Paul Maglalang, IBP-Pampanga secretary, asked regional police authorities to impose sanctions on members of the Pampanga police for their “inaction.”
The grill bar is located just beside the camp and Pasiguen ran to it without being arrested, Maglalang said.
Briones was arrested on Saturday night and is detained at the San Fernando jail here.
