Police building airtight case vs Zambo mayor’s killers

MANILA, Philippines - The police are building an airtight case against the gunmen in the ambush of Labangan, Zamboanga del Sur Mayor Ukol Talumpa.

National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Carmelo Valmoria said they would file the charges against the suspects once the evidence is at hand.

“Once we are convinced that we have an airtight case, we will file them in court. We want to get a conviction against the suspects,” he said.

Senior Superintendent Billy Beltran, chief of the Special Investigation Task Group Ukol, earlier said there are at least three suspects in the killing of Talumpa and his wife Lea.

Saripudon Talumpa, a nephew of the mayor, and 18-month-old Gil Thomas Estuesta Lirazan, who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 with his parents from Bacolod, were also killed.

Five other people were injured in the incident last Friday.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) had identified the gunmen in the ambush but declined to elaborate.

Valmoria also refused to say how many would be charged.

“We will only talk about the case once the charges have been filed in court,” he said.

Valmoria welcomed the parallel investigation by the NBI in the ambush.

“We are focused right now on our effort to go after the suspects based on the pieces of evidence on hand. We will not be distracted in our bid to pin them down,” he said.

For the meantime, police have tightened security at the airport, particularly at the curbside where the killing occurred.

Police Aviation Security Group director Chief Superintendent Christopher Laxa said they have deployed some 180 policemen in shifts to secure the perimeter of the airport, including the arrival and departure areas.

Authorities noted there was no closed circuit television camera mounted at the site where the shooting occurred.

Laxa said 80 policemen and policewomen from the NCRPO and more than 100 from the Southern Police District were added and deployed at the terminals.

“We have started to implement the inspection of every vehicle at the checkpoints using extended mirror and bomb sniffing dogs, visible policemen in uniform at the crowded areas so as to give protection to passengers and their senders specially this Christmas where hundreds or even thousands are coming home to celebrate with their families,” Laxa said.

“We don’t want to be alarming, but we have to do our part to protect innocent people while at the airport terminals,” he added.

Meanwhile, Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia said he sought assistance from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to help the other victims of the attack.

Leonardia said PCSO general manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas and assistant general manager Liza Gabuyo gave assurance they would provide for the Lirazans and Uy.

Leonardia said the Lizaran and Uy families came from Bacolod for a vacation in Manila when they got involved in the attack.

“We were assured this would be given special treatment. What is important is they should give this personal and official attention,” he said.  – With Rudy Santos, Danny Dangcalan