Four charged in murder of Bayan Muna leader

Four men were indicted for allegedly killing Bayan Muna leader Victor Olayvar in Bohol last month.

Olayvar's colleagues in the progressive organization, however, were not satisfied with the results of the police and military investigation and plans to have their own probe and submit the result to an international human rights body.

The task force assigned to handle the case filed murder charges against three notorious police characters and another case of accessory to murder against an alleged former member of the communist New People's Army.

Police said "vendetta" was the motive behind the killing of Olayvar who also happened to be the chairman of the Hugpong sa Mag-uumang Bol-anon.

A key witness, 46-year-old Adela Membrillos from Buenavista who resides in San Carlos, Danao, said that in 1991, a certain Joseph Betasa was summarily executed by the NPA for engaging in notorious activities contrary to revolutionary laws.

Betasa's brothers, identified as Marlou and Virgo, soon alleged that their brother's death was the handiwork of the Humabol members who recommended for his execution.

Membrillos, being a former Humabol member herself, added that Humabol members and their families became targets of harassments and intimidation by the Betasas shortly before they escaped to Mindanao in 2003.

In 2004, she added that the Betasas came home with unidentified companions, and the intimidations and harassment started again with the vow to avenge the death of their brother.

All three suspects have remained at large while police have in their custody Roldan Torres for being an accessory to the Olayvar slay on September 7 in barangay Cantubod in Danao.

Bohol police provincial director Arturo Evangelista forwarded the murder complaints against brothers Marlou and Virgo Betasa and Neil Logronio as well as accessory to murder case against Torres to Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Macario Delusa last October 4.

Police said murder witness Joselito Ayag, the one who drove Olayvar on the day he was killed, positively identified the suspects and in a supplemental affidavit, bared that he saw the same persons the night before Olayvar died pretending to be customers at Torres' videoke bar.

Ayag also personally identified Torres' red Krypton motorcycle now with fixed brake light cover as one of the two escape vehicles. In earlier affidavit, he said the motorcycle has broken taillights.

Despite the development, Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado has endorsed all the Olayvar murder documents to the government-initiated Melo Commission, which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed, aided by international human rights observers, to conduct investigations and establish validity of the militant propaganda that she has a hand in the systematic neutralization of vocal critics against her Administration.

However, human rights and Bayan-affiliated group Karapatan said they believe that the four accused are "fall guys" since the real killers are police agents.

Karapatan-Central Visayas secretary general Dennis Abarrientos said they do not even believe that the Melo Commission will come up with a factual and impartial investigation.

With this, he added that his group would conduct its own probe and send the result to the International People's Tribunal when it holds its congress in Belgium soon.

"We will send a report to the International People's Tribunal and we will highlight the political killings in the country that are perpetrated by state agents themselves, and that is the reason why they aggressively whitewash the investigation," Abarrientos said. - Wenna A. Berondo