Campos colleagues vow to help probe murder

Slain controversial Superintendent John Campos’ colleagues in the police said they will ask around to help in the murder investigation and bring his assailants to justice.

"We have discussed this and we agreed that we all want to silently help in the investigation, at least in intelligence-gathering," Senior Superintendent Francisco Villaroman told The STAR.

"We all worked with John for a long time. Some of us who are on floating status (not assigned to any unit) said they could make use of their time in gathering information that could help lead to the arrest of the suspects."

Interior Secretary Jose Lina Jr., meanwhile, ordered yesterday the Philippine National Police (PNP) to speed up the investigation following an order for him from President Arroyo.

The PNP is under the supervision of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Villaroman and Campos were former members of the now-defunct Narcotics Group of the PNP, abolished in early July when the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was formed.

Villaroman is now assigned at the Philippine Center for Transnational Crimes.

Campos, meanwhile, was relieved last year when undercover police agent Mary Ong accused him of involvement in the illegal drug trade upon the orders of former PNP chief and now Sen. Panfilo Lacson, with whom Campos was associated.

Campos was Ong’s handler and former girlfriend when she was an agent – using her now-famous codename "Rosebud" – for the PNP against the notorious Hong Kong Triad drug ring.

In interviews, Ong said she suspected that Lacson ordered Campos killed to silence him. Lacson denied the allegations.

Making no attempt to hide his disgust for Ong, Villaroman said Ong should even be considered a suspect in the killing.

He particularly cited Ong’s claim made in an earlier television interview that investigators were eyeing a possible love triangle angle. "Why is she privy to the investigation?"