Crime dis-solving

Teresita Ang See has always been a voice for reason, cooperation and safeguarding peace and order. So imagine how bad a situation can be if the “patron saint” of the community is driven to the point of going ballistic and lashing out at her traditional partners, namely officials of the PNP and some media.

I received a copy of the “Statement of Indignation and Concern” from the Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order. The fact that the movement is once again “active” concerning peace and order issues already says a lot. This tells us criminality is on the rise or peace and order is not what it used to be, as in the previous administration. Their latest statement certainly lashed out and I quote parts of it:

“There are a number of news outfits who issued news releases implicating the son of Anson Que as a mastermind in the death of his father. The Movement for Restoration of Peace and Order signifies its protest against the claims of the Philippine National Police that justice has been served. IT HAS NOT.

“We call the attention of the PNP and express our outrage at your release of the extra-judicial confession of David Tan Liao. Why is the word of a notorious criminal the SOLE source of your evidence? Why did Alvin Que become a person of interest only on the word of Liao, a known kidnapper and gun-for-hire responsible for the deaths of more than a dozen kidnap victims?

“Where is the investigation that corroborates Liao’s claim? Are there other people who affirm this single statement? Where is the physical and/or digital evidence that supports the claim that the son is involved?

“We also express our outrage at media outfits who released their news without verifying. Repeating everything the AKG or PNP said is not journalism. It’s printing a press release. We expect better from veteran journalists than to be the mouthpiece of law enforcers who failed and continue to fail to do their work.

“Does media no longer have journalistic rules to confirm veracity and accuracy? The same question applies – did you do your due diligence in finding corroboration? We commend the editors of the Philippine Daily Inquirer for calling out and outlining the failures of the police. They raised very important questions that the police should use to further their investigations.

“Anson Que has three grandchildren grieving over the death of their grandfather. Now, they have to contend with such still uninvestigated news about their own father? For that matter, isn’t it protocol to NOT RELEASE information about ongoing investigations?

“When AKG arrested and handcuffed Anson Que’s son-in-law, Pan Zeliang, at 2 a.m., nine days ago, Teresita Ang See warned the Anti-Kidnaping Group: “Hindi ko kilala si Pan, pero mag hanap muna kayo ng evidence bago makinig sa statement ng masamang tao. Baka baligtarin kayo ni David Tan Liao.”

“Alvin Que and his wife submitted themselves for investigation by PNP chief of directorial staff Police Lieutenant General Edgardo Okubo, even if they were strongly advised by their counsel not to do so.

“Then, they submitted their mobile phones for forensic examination by the police, again, against the advice of their counsel. The preliminary investigation revealed NO derogatory information. Yes, the result is preliminary, but it already counters and does not support the initial statement made by Liao.

“Furthermore, the Que family approached a friend for help to trace the money trail. Why has the AKG not picked this up to follow the money? If there are contradictory preliminary findings and the money trail has not been followed, then the investigation is NOT FINISHED.

“Why release the statement about Alvin Que’s involvement then? Again, this just cements the fact that the PNP has failed to do their case build-up before releasing information.

“We urge the Philippine National Police to take this opportunity to demonstrate integrity and diligence in their investigative work – the people’s trust must be earned through actions, not assertions.”

Melvin Dy / Teresita Ang See

Chairperson – Founding chairperson

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A few weeks ago, the PNP repatriated the primary suspect in the contract killing of my friend Dominic Sytin. Three men were involved, the hit man squealed on his contact as well as the alleged mastermind, a relative of the victim. When the hit was done, all three went into hiding for months and years, the main suspect even going to Malaysia.

In the Sytin case, my sources claim that the police had video and testimonial evidence of the three suspects meeting, there was substantial motive and a history of disputes and the fact that none of them surrendered but were caught after several years on the run, supports the suspicion of guilt.

In the case of the Anson Que kidnap-murder, including that of his driver, the relative/suspect did not hide or resist arrest, cooperated with authorities and, following the detail narrative of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order, the police investigation was full of holes or sloppy.

Pointing to relatives also diverts the attention from suspects who, maybe, are being protected by persons in power or authority. What I worry about is a repeat of how the Vizconde massacre case was handled.

At least two sets of suspects were arrested and presented by the police and to this day, some of those who went to jail and served their sentence still declare their innocence.

That is what I mean by “crime dis-solving” – rushing police work and investigations in order to dissolve the pressure from higher ups but not necessarily solving the crime. If Tessie Ang See is proven right, I hope the Que family files criminal charges against those responsible for ruining their reputation.

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