IBP - Cebu City turns over list of "vigilantes", other evidence

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Cebu City chapter finally turned over yesterday the pieces of evidence they claimed to have on the spate of vigilante-style killings in Cebu City to the National Bureau of Investigation.

However, contrary to the claims made earlier by the chapter president Alex Tolentino, what was turned over to the NBI were raw information and a list of suspected vigilantes.

NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos said that they are still evaluating the "very raw" information Tolentino gave them.

De Lemos said the pieces of evidence turned over to them included specific incidents and the alleged culprits including the names of possible witnesses. However, there were no sworn affidavits of witnesses submitted by the IBP.

De Lemos refused to elaborate on the names that were included in the list of suspected vigilantes submitted by the IBP saying these are still subject to verification. He also said that the IBP did not turnover pictures of the suspected vigilantes despite Tolentino's claims that he has pictures of the vigilantes.

The NBI official said the pieces of evidence they received from the IBP were not enough to file charges because these are still "very raw information" that needs to evaluated.

Tolentino, in his previous statements, claimed that the IBP is already 75 percent close to solving the vigilante-style killings. He even claimed to have already identified the mastermind and the vigilantes themselves.

He said a police official who allegedly had knowledge on the people behind the killings and an investigating body is helped the IBP gather the evidence. - Fred P. Languido/QSB