50th IB chief disowns officer tagged in activist’s slay

SAN FERNANDO, La Union — The commanding officer of the Army’s 50th Infantry Brigade based in Ilocos Sur said yesterday that a captain tagged as the gunman in an activist’s killing was never assigned to his unit.

Lt. Col. Harold Cabreros, 50th IB chief, told The STAR that police investigators were misinformed about the identity of Capt. Joel Castro as relayed by an unnamed witness to the killing of activist Jose Manegdeg.

"This certain Joel Castro was never a member of the 50th IB. I think the police were misinformed on his identity. Walang Joel Castro sa amin," he said.

Cabreros alleged that leftist organizations were just using Castro to tarnish the image of his command.

"The leftist organizations are using this case to destroy our image which we have already gained from our good performance here in Ilocos Sur. I reiterate that we do not have any of the so-called ‘death squads.’ We never indulge in these kinds of activities. It is them (leftists) who I believe are doing it," he said.

A police officer, who once handled the Manegdeg case, claimed that Castro was assigned for a long time in Bauang, La Union as head of the Military Intelligence Company, but he could not recall if Castro served in the 50th IB.

A witness tagged Castro as the one who gunned down Manegdeg in Sitio Bigbiga, San Nicolas in San Esteban, Ilocos Sur.

The witness identified Castro in pictures shown to him by Task Force Usig, which is probing the killings of militants and journalists nationwide.

Manegdeg, coordinator of the Church-based Rural Missionaries of the Philippines in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions, was waiting for a bus ride when he was gunned down. He sustained 22 gunshot wounds from a caliber .45 pistol.

Manegdeg was on his way to the airport to fetch his wife who was arriving from Hong Kong.

Murder charges are reportedly being readied against Castro before the Ilocos Sur prosecutor’s office.