Hired guns eyed in vice mayor's killing

DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Vice Mayor Alexander Tomawis of Barira town in Maguindanao could have been slain by hired killers who belong to an organized crime group operating in the South, authorities said yesterday.

 Senior Superintendent Pedro Cabatingan, Task Force Tomawis head, said investigators are pursuing the angle that Tomawis was killed by professional assassins who were hired by a mastermind who has yet to be unmasked.

Tomawis was gunned down last Sunday just outside his rented townhouse in this city by men who asked him to sign some documents.

Cabatingan said the task force is proposing that a reward be offered to expedite the solution of the murder case. At present, neither the government nor Tomawis’ family has offered any reward.

Cabatingan said two angles are being looked into, including the involvement of an organized crime group operating in Mindanao that was probably tapped to kill Tomawis.

Cabatingan said that from all indications, the assassins are professional killers.

A few days ago, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Rico Puno personally met with members of Task Force Tomawis here to check on the progress of their investigation. Cabatingan said Puno advised them to expedite their probe.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo went to Cotabato City earlier this week to talk with the family of Tomawis in an effort to prevent more bloodshed that may result from a clan war or rido.

At present, Task Force Tomawis has three witnesses, and has released the artist’s sketch of one of the two assassins.

But according to information from the Tomawis camp, the artist’s sketch released by the authorities did not match that of the assassin, as claimed by witnesses.

Cabatingan, however, said the witnesses’ positive identification would prevail over the artist’s sketch, adding that artist’s sketches are not necessarily exact duplicates of crime perpetrators.

According to the witnesses, one of the two male assassins turned out to be older, contrary to initial information from the police that both killers were teenagers.

In the artist’s sketch, police described the triggerman as 40 to 45 years old, 5’7” or 5’8” tall, weighs about 60 to 65 kilos, and has medium build and dark complexion.