Police welcome Ong testimony on Campos slay

Metro Manila police commander Deputy Director General Reynaldo Velasco welcomed yesterday the offer of Mary Ong alias Rosebud, the controversial former police asset, to help solve the killing of police Chief Inspector John Campos.

Velasco said he has ordered Chief Superintendent Jose Gutierrez, Southern Police District director, to provide security to Ong, who has yet to answer the invitation of Parañaque City police investigators to shed light on the murder.

"As I said before, we are not leaving any stone unturned in this investigation and Ms. Ong’s formal revelation is another angle that should be explored," he said.

"Now that she is willing to give her statement to the Parañaque City police, the investigating unit can look deeper into her allegations."

Velasco said an individual cannot just accuse another person without any substantial evidence as a person is presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law after trial.

Velasco said the Parañaque City police can now get hold of the documents which Ong has in her possession so these could be closely examined to determine if they are relevant to the Campos murder case.

Ong’s cooperation and those of other witnesses are vital for the immediate solution of the killing of Campos, Velasco added.

Meanwhile, Superintendent Wency Pascual, Parañaque City police officer-in-charge, said his investigators have sent an invitation to Ong at the headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, where Ong is billeted under tight security.

"We’re just waiting for her (response)," he said. "We’re calling up (Camp) Aguinaldo to follow up our invitation."

Pascual said Ong’s sworn statement is very important to police investigators to help them determine if what she is telling media is true.

In another development, Pascual said the calls Campos made and received on his cell phone hours before he was shot dead could give investigators possible leads to solve the crime.

Interestingly, the numbers which Campos had called and from which he had received calls are not listed in his cell phone’s directory, he added.

Pascual said a caller had tipped off investigators on the possible make and plate number of the getaway car of the killer of Campos. – Nikko Dizon