Bersamin slay suspect: Governor paid P5 M for hit

A former constable has tagged Abra Gov. Vicente Valera as the mastermind in the murder of Rep. Luis Bersamin Jr., claiming the governor funded a P5-million contract for the lawmaker’s assassination.

The confession prompted the police to swoop down on the houses of Valera and his bodyguards in Abra yesterday on suspicion that he is maintaining a private army.

Lawmen from Task Force Abra led by Senior Superintendent Eugene Martin conducted simultaneous raids on the homes of Valera and his bodyguards after one of the suspects, Rufino Palope Panday, confessed participation in the killing.

Police arrested Panday at his residence on Jasmin St. in Cembo, Makati City, a few hours after the assassination last Saturday.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscar Calderon said the announcement of the arrest was delayed pending further results of the investigation.

Calderon said the breakthrough in the case came after police investigators recovered the motorcycle abandoned by the gunman at the corner of Balete Drive and Aurora Blvd. in Quezon City, a few meters away from Mt. Carmel Church where Bersamin was killed.

Investigators recovered a receipt naming the supposed owner of the abandoned motorcycle, a certain Luis Saulog of Abra.

The motorcycle, a Honda XRM with license plate BQ-1709, turned out to be registered in Marikina in the name of "a retired master sergeant" living in Barangay Cembo in Guadalupe, Makati City — who turned out to be Panday, a retired member of the defunct Philippine Constabulary.

Calderon explained they had to delay the announcement on the arrest of Panday since investigators had yet to gather more evidence.

Calderon, however, assured the family of Bersamin that police will not stop until all the suspects and the mastermind are apprehended.

"As we speak, follow up operations are underway to dig deeper into this case and possibly identify the other participants. We remain confident that we will complete the investigation in due time and serve the ends of justice to the victims," he said.

During interrogation, Panday admitted participating in Bersamin’s murder as a lookout and gave detailed information on how they planned to carry out the assassination.

Panday claimed to have been told by his cohorts that Valera himself funded the assassination of Bersamin at P5 million.

He said Freddie Dupo, former vice-mayor of La Paz town in Abra, had told him about Valera’s involvement in the plot after discussing the assassination contract with two other suspects he identified as Salvador "Ador" Barbosa and Sonny Taculao, who acted as the triggermen.

Panday said he earlier met Dupo near a drugstore in Guadalupe, Makati City where they discussed the plan.

He said the contract for the killing of Bersamin was placed at P5 million, with Dupo making the down payment of P500,000 a week before the killing.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Jesus Versoza added Taculao used the alias Louie Saulog to purchase the motorcycle in a shop in Marikina City.

The motorcycle was used as a getaway by Taculao and Barbosa. It was abandoned several blocks away from the church.

Police said a fifth suspect is still being identified by the police as the one who drove the Toyota Tamaraw FX van to ferry the suspects after they abandoned the motorcycle.

Following the confession of Panday, police immediately formed a raiding team to search the house of Valera.

Raiding lawmen are searching the houses for two M60 machine guns, five M-14 rifles and ten .45 pistols.

Valera was not in the house during the raid. Caretakers claimed the governor was out of town, reports said.

Valera, for his part, said the raiding lawmen merely wanted to greet him for the holidays.

"Gusto lang maki-Pasko mga tao, (so) what else is new," he said

Valera also dismissed as "hearsay" the confession made by Panday implicating him in the killings.

It was gathered that Valera and Bersamin had a political agreement.

Bersamin was supposed to serve one term as congressman to be replaced by the governor’s wife Ching Valera in the May 2007 local elections.

Bersamin was the former vice governor and mayor of this capital town.

But in the 2004 elections, Bersamin allegedly refused to honor the agreement and continued to run as congressman, securing a second term, much to the chagrin of Valera and his group.

As the next election nears, Bersamin reportedly bared his plans to run as governor of the province, virtually challenging Valera.

Investigators had earlier suspected politics as behind the killing of Bersamin.

Valera earlier denied responsibility for Bersamin’s murder, saying that a group of politicians in the province was trying to pin the crime on him.

"These are our political detractors who want me and the congressman to become enemies. They know that as long as I and the congressman are united, no one can win over us," Valera told dzMM radio.

Valera said he will only reveal the identities of the politicians in a formal investigation.

As this developed, President Arroyo ordered the PNP to intensify visibility and mobility in various "hotspots" to stop the rash of unexplained killings.

"Unexplained killings of whatever sort have been a deep concern of the President and her government and regardless of the motives, the government is taking all means to bring these dastardly acts to a stop once and for all," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

Expressions of condolence and sympathy continue to stream to the family of Bersamin.

Northern Luzon congressmen passed the hat and gathered P800,000 as assistance to the family of their slain colleague.

Ilocos Sur Rep. Eric Singson, president of the Northern Luzon Alliance (NLA) bloc of lawmakers where Bersamin was a member, urged authorities to solve the slaying in the soonest possible time.

"He (Bersamin) is a great loss to NLA and a greater loss to Abra," Singson said. - With Artemio Dumlao, Aurea Calica, Teodoro Molina