Police asset executed

DUMAGUETE CITY, Philippines – A police asset was shot to death and another man wounded Friday dawn by unidentified riding-in-tandem assailants at the housing site in Cadawinonan, considered one of four hot spot areas of illegal drugs in this city

The fatality, identified as 39-year-old Harris Alivio of Sibulan town, sustained five gunshot wounds, and died an hour after at the hospital.

Initial investigations disclosed that Alivio, an asset of the Special Operations Group, arrived at the housing site at about 11 p.m. Thursday to meet with a certain Tata Agui. He was about to leave the place a few minutes later, but the headlight of his motorcycle malfunctioned and had to be repaired first.

Alivio then asked Rico Sapio, a motorcycle mechanic, to do the repair with the latter’s assistant Crisanto Cadayday. While the repair was being done, two men arrived on a motorcycle (with no plate number) and started shooting Alivio in different parts of his body.

The attackers then left the scene, but Sapio was also hit in his left hand by a stray bullet. He is now recuperating at the Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital.

Recovered from the possession of Alivio was a .45-caliber pistol, 19 live bullets, three magazines, a sling bag and sunglasses.

Since Superintendent Jovito Atanacio became City Police chief, Alivio was the third police asset who was killed by people, believed to be hit men of a group involved in the illegal sale and distribution of illegal drugs in the city. The other two were Felixberto Somoza III and Roberto Repollo.

The firearm of Alivio and the 15 empty shells of bullets recovered from the crime scene will be subjected to cross matching with evidences recovered from previous shooting incidents in the city, to determine if they were fired from the same firearm.

Atanacio said it was unfortunate that those who are working for the government have become targets of liquidation by hit men of an organized crime group in the city.

Alivio was a former jail guard who was dismissed from the service after proven positive for use of prohibited drugs.