Cops face blank wall in Apayao judge’s killing

CAMP DANGAWA, La Trinidad, Benguet — Cordillera policemen are still facing a blank wall in the brutal slaying of a municipal circuit judge in front of his house in Kabugao town, Apayao on Saturday night.

Judge Pinera Biden was gunned down at point blank range by still unidentified assassins at around 9 p.m. Saturday.

Supt. Rimas Calixto intelligence and investigation division chief of the Cordillera police said that Biden was inspecting his vehicle in front of his residential compound when still unidentified assassins pumped bullets at the judge.

Probers found a slug of a caliber .45 pistol and two more slugs of a shotgun at the scene.

Calixto said no witnesses have come out in the open to testify, thus giving cops no leads yet in their investigation. Calixto, however, was quoted on Sunday by a local tabloid as saying that the-slaying could be job-related. But on Monday, Apayao police chief Senior Supt. Rodolfo Anagaran had reported to him that they have no leads yet.

Sources among the legal profession here in the city said Biden, was known for his tough decisions.

Police are now on 24-hour manhunt operations against the still unidentified assassins while checkpoints were also set up in all possible escape routes. — Artemio Dumlao