Abra gov getting death threats

Abra Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin has received death threats since one of the two suspects in the killing of his brother, Rep. Luis Bersamin, expressed willingness to spill the beans about the mastermind in the case.

“Mag-ingat ka. May third force pa rin (Be careful. There’s still a third force),” Bersamin quoted one of the text messages sent to him as stating.

Superintendent Jess Cambay, Cordillera police intelligence chief, said the text message came from a rebel returnee whom he refused to identify.

Cambay has doubled the security for Bersamin to prevent any attempt on his life.

But Bersamin said nothing could stop him from serving the people of Abra.

Cambay admitted that they are investigating a “third force” in the killing of Rep. Bersamin and his police bodyguard, SPO2 Adelfo Ortega, in front of Mt. Carmel Church in Quezon City last Dec. 16.

“We thought at first that the ‘third force’ is a separate group who wanted the head of Rep. Bersamin. But our investigation now showed that (this) force is aligned with a politician in the province,” he said.

Cambay said the third force is composed of former New People’s Army rebels who want to unseat the Bersamins from Abra’s seat of power.

The threats on the life of Gov. Bersamin came after former La Paz town vice mayor Freddie Dupo expressed willingness to reveal all he knows about the killing during a meeting with the slain lawmaker’s family in his detention cell in Camp Crame.

Dupo and his cousin, Sunny Taculao, were arrested in the mountainous area of Baras town in Rizal last month where they had gone into hiding after the slaying of Bersamin and Ortega.

Another suspect, Sgt. Rufino Panday, earlier had pointed to former Abra governor Vicente Valera as the alleged mastermind in the killing, but he later retracted his statements.

Valera vehemently denied having a hand in Bersamin’s murder.

Abra Rep. Cecille Luna has also filed a case against Valera before the Ombudsman for an attempt on her life years back. But nothing has happened to the case.

Meanwhile, Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin, Cordillera police director, said his men are still trying to locate Gerry Turqueza, tagged by Dupo as the triggerman in the slaying of Bersamin and Ortega.

Martin said they are also conducting a massive manhunt for another suspected gunman, a certain Jun, believed to belong to the “third force.”

“Our manhunt operations are ongoing. We are verifying reports reaching our office regarding the sightings of Turqueza, Ka Jun and several others named by Dupo as among the suspects in Bersamin’s slay,” he said.