PHILIPPINE National Police Chief Gen. Oscar Albayalde has tagged Daraga, Albay Mayor Carlwin Baldo as the brains behind the murder of Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his security aide last month.
Saying the PNP considered the case “solved, but not closed” since some suspects have not been arrested, and there is still a possibility someone higher than the mayor may be involved, Albayalde said Baldo had tapped one “Christopher Naval” to carry out the hit.
Naval, in turn, assembled six others, who all happened to be on the payroll of the mayor.
Batocabe’s term in Congress is ending, and he had filed a Certificate of Candidacy to run for mayor of Daraga, challenging Baldo.
Suspects, persons of interest
ACCORDING to Albayalde, the six suspects mobilized by Naval included rebel returnees and dismissed soldiers. They were listed in the mayor’s payroll as “personal staff” and he said authorities were looking at the possibility these people also acted as guns-for-hire for other groups.
The PNP investigation benefited greatly from the surrender of one Emmanuel Judavar, who was initially included in a plot hatched in August 2018, but had backed out and subsequently went to the police after last months’ killing.
Judavar was shown by cops a photo of the last gift-giving event graced by Batocabe just before he was gunned down, and the witness identified two persons on the scene, who were neither senior citizens nor persons with disability. They were among the people tagged in the assassination.
The “persons of interest” now tagged as suspects included a former member of the New People’s Army and and ex-Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit officer, and one honorably discharged soldier. The rest were dismissed members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
Family gratitude
ALSO at the briefing, Batocabe’s son Atty. Justin Batocabe expressed profuse gratitude to authorities for the speedy investigation.
“These fruits of hard labor of our investigators are very much welcome…[Our family has nothing but appreciation for all those who helped.] Thank you, thank you very much to the police,” said the younger Batocabe.
He said the solution of the case “helps the family somehow accept what [had] happened.” But, he added, the notion “of killing someone for money, for a public position—that is something we can never accept.”
Atty. Batocabe declined to say if the family has decided on who will take the slain congressman’s place in the ballot for the mayoral race for May 13.
He explained that under the law, only someone surnamed “Batocabe” can substitute for the slain candidate, but he would not say if he was giving in to pressure to run in his father’s stead.
The young lawyer also noted that Mayor Baldo can still run for reelection and even win and assume office, despite the charges having been filed, because the election law requires “final conviction” in a case to disqualify a candidate.
Albayalde said they have filed with the provincial prosecutor this morning charges of double murder and six counts of frustrated murder against Baldo and his cohorts.