Investigators work to identify men who threatened CA justice

Police intelligence operatives are now working to get the descriptions that would lead to the identification of the two men who threw two boxes containing live ammunitions at the house of Court of Appeals-Visayas associate justice Marlyn Sison last Wednesday dawn.

Supt. Pablo Labra, chief of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Branch, said his men would try asking the security guards of the Triump Townhouse Subdivision in barangay Guadalupe, and also those in the Court of Appeals building, where the second death-threat box was delivered.

Labra believed that the guards on duty at the time could have seen the faces of the two men and the descriptions could help authorities in identifying the men who threatened the CA associate justice twice at separate locations.

The first time was at about 3 a.m. Wednesday when two men, on a red motorcycle without plate number, threw a paper bag outside Sison's residence at Triump Townhouse in Guadalupe.

A security guard saw and opened the paper bag, which he found with a box containing a .40mm live ammunition for an M203 grenade launcher with a note saying, "RIP Justice Marlyn Sison, Rest in Peace Marlyn Sison."

This prompted the guard to call for police assistance. An hour later, this time outside the CA-Visayas building on Salvador Extension in barangay Labangon, two unidentified men on a blue motorcycle threw another paper bag that alerted the guards there.

A guard of the building called the City Police Mobile Patrol Group and the Special Weapons and Tactics, the members of which responded and found a .40mm live ammunition for an M203 grenade launcher.

This was the same type of ammunition that was earlier thrown at Sison's residence, with the same threatening message against the female associate justice.

Sison, who was not in both places at the time, was surprised when told of the threats. Labra however said investigators have been looking into her job or possible personal grudges against the justice. There are no details yet on these aspects so far.

The Regional Investigation and Intelligence Division of the Police Regional Office7, for its part, said it would help the CIIB in the investigation of the case but is still waiting from orders from regional director, C/Supt. Silverio Alarcio Jr.

RIID's Sr.Supt. Patrosenio Comendador clarified though that, in case his unit joins the investigation, it would still be the City Police that is the lead agency in the investigation.

Sison's jurisdiction as associate justice of CA-Visayas covers Regions 6, 7 and 8, which the police deemed as too expansive to look for work-related angles and motives of the death threats.

Since the threats broke out, the CIIB and RIID have provided Sison additional personnel, as her close-in security men and guards of the CA building and her residence. - Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE