Top police officials and ground operatives involved in the bloody Jan. 6 operation in Atimonan, Quezon showed up at the headquarters of National Bureau of Investigation Wednesday morning. And the main questions that the NBI wants answered are: Who ordered the operation that saw 13 people killed? Why was the military involved in a purely police operation?
As of noontime, seen arriving at the NBI headquarters included relieved Calabarzon (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) regional police chief Chief Superintendent James Melad and his men. They arrived on board a white van. NBI is also expecting
But a source said the NBI is willing to exonerate the low-ranking policemen for information that would get to the bottom of what now appears to be an ambush and not the shootout that it was initially reported to be.
For his part, NBI senior agent Danielito Lalusis said some 50 police and military officials are expected to present themselves for questioning. He also wondered at the participation of an elite military unit, the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), in the purely police operation.
Lalusis said the NBI finds it extremely significant to determine who actually issued the directive and gave clearance to it. “Who gave the go-signal for the operation? How were the men briefed before the operation, and why were elite operatives tapped for the supposed encounter?” he said.
President Benigno Aquino III has authorized the NBI to investigate the carnage. An initial report of the NBI probe is reportedly already released to Malacanang. Initial police reports said the PNP operatives on field engaged in a shootout perceived members of a gun-for-hire group.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.