Undersec. Joel Egco, executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), said on Wednesday he will look further into the release of one of the suspects in the killing of Dumaguete broadcaster Dindo Generoso.
In an interview here following the 16th Presidential Communications Operations Office Roadshow at Silliman University, Egco admitted he felt sad upon learning that Teddy Salaw, alleged driver of the pickup truck that police tagged in Generoso’s murder, was released.
“Medyo malungkot ako doon (I am kind of sad about that), and we have to know what happened,” said Egco, as he was set to have a meeting with OIC Dumaguete Police Chief Col. Wilfredo Alarcon.
Egco said he wants to find out what caused the dismissal by the Prosecutor’s Office of the case against Salaw.
“Just because of technicalities, the complaint against Salaw was dismissed,” he said in Filipino, pointing to the absence of a lawyer when Salaw’s confession was taken by the police.
Several hours after Generoso was gunned down on Nov. 7 in barangay Piapi by two unidentified assailants riding in tandem on a motorcycle, the police announced that Salaw, alleged driver of a pickup truck, and retired police officer Glenn Corsame were arrested.
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Salaw was identified as the driver of a silver Mitsubishi Strada pickup truck from which the alleged gunman, Police Cpl. Roger Rubio, got off before boarding a motorcycle that Corsame was allegedly driving.
Egco said he will also talk with the National Bureau of Investigation to get answers on the dismissal of the murder complaint against Salaw.
“It’s also not surprising because it looks like there is a good lawyer for him,” he said.
The dismissal of the complaint against Salaw stemmed from the findings of the Prosecutor that there was no direct testimony he was the driver of the pickup truck, and that there was no instance in the CCTV footage that his face was clearly seen, Alarcon said.
Evidence submitted before the City Prosecutor’s Office included a cellphone conversation between the alleged driver and the gunman, and the admission by Salaw during police interrogation that he was the driver.
But in the absence of a legal counsel during the interrogation, such admission was not accepted in court.
Alarcon vowed that his investigators will not stop looking for supplemental evidence to pursue the filing of a murder case against Salaw.
He said Salaw was supposed to be indicted for illegal possession of firearms, but that the local authorities are still waiting for a certification from Camp Crame regarding the status of the gun recovered from the suspect.
This case, Alarcon said, will be filed on a regular preliminary investigation.
Police recovered a firearm and ammunition from Salaw at the time of his arrest.
Aside from Salaw, murder charges were filed against Corsame, Rubio, and Tomasino Aledro, supposed owner of the pick-up truck.
Corsame is under custody of the police, while Rubio is under “camp restriction” status at the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office pending an administrative case against him.
On the other hand, Aledro is still at large.
Egco assured they will exert all efforts to provide more information to the local police and other investigators. (Judy F. Partlow and Juancho Gallarde/PNA)
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