Ilocos Norte judge murdered

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – A municipal trial circuit judge was found dead with hack and stab wounds in his residence in Currimao, Ilocos Norte yesterday morning.

Judge Fredelito Pingao, of the Municipal Trial Circuit Court Branch 2 that serves Vintar and Sarrat towns, had three hack wounds and several stab wounds in the neck, almost slashing his throat, said Chief Superintendent Franklin Bucayu, Ilocos regional police director.

Two men who were last seen drinking with Pingao in his home in Barangay San Simeon, Currimao town on Tuesday night were invited for questioning by a special investigating team formed by Senior Superintendent Marlo Chan, Ilocos Norte police director.

Pingao’s fellow judges as well as prosecutors and lawyers have also formed their own team to work closely with the police.

The group includes Judge Isidoro Pobre of Regional Trial Court Branch 18 in Batac town and prosecutors Bernardo Agdigos, Valentin Pascua and Myra Shiela Nalupta-Barba, who went to the crime scene to provide legal assistance to the police investigators.

Bucayu said they were looking at several angles into the killing, including the slain judge’s personal deals. – With Charlie Lagasca