EDITORIAL - Curiouser and curiouser

Dead men tell no tales, but perhaps efficient sleuthing will unearth the full story in the deaths of 13 men in what security officials described as a shootout at a checkpoint in Quezon last Sunday.

Details that started emerging yesterday raised questions about the encounter. The dead included three policemen including a superintendent, an Air Force soldier and two military intelligence personnel, although the two were disowned by the Armed Forces. Also among the dead was the apparent owner of the two sport utility vehicles used by the 13 – Victorino Siman Jr., whom military and police officers tagged as the top gambling baron in Bicol and Southern Tagalog.

The widow of the slain police superintendent raised even more questions after openly declaring to journalists yesterday that her husband was supposed to be escorting a large amount of cash – P100 million was the amount mentioned – collected from small town lottery operations in Bicol. The widow said she and the relatives of the other slain men would seek a separate probe from the Department of Justice. The DOJ should grant the request.

The joint military and police contingent at the checkpoint set up at the border of Plaridel and Atimonan towns did not report finding any cash in the two Mitsubishi Montero SUVs. Instead the joint contingent reported that eight caliber .45 pistols, an M14 rifle and a baby Armalite were found in the vehicles, which were so riddled with bullets three of the tires were flattened.

Last night the Philippine National Police formed a special group to look deeper into the encounter. With PNP members involved on both sides, however, it may be better for the probe to be handled by a neutral agency. Such a probe is likely to reveal damning information about military and police activities, which should pave the way for reforms.