No death threat prior to shooting: Group formed to probe slay

CEBU, Philippines — Authorities have formed a Special Intelligence Task Group (SITG) that will investigate the killing of Police Lt. Colonel Joie Yape in Cebu City Thursday night.

“I am directing the Station 2 commander, Major (Elisandro) Quijano, to establish the SITG,” said Col. Geovanie Maines, officer-in-charge of the Cebu City Police Office.

The police are considering job-related motives, Maines said.

“So far, ang mga sinasabi sa atin na motive ay probably job-related kasi matagal na na-assign dito sa intel branch (We’re told, so far, that motive may be job-related because he has been with the intelligence branch for quite some time),” he said.

“Kasi nga, naging PIB sya dito noon and as per as yung mga nakukuha naming mga background result, probably may relation sa mga jobs nya dito before (He was assigned with the Provincial Intelligence Branch before and the incident may be related to the work he did in the past),” he added.

Initial investigation revealed that prior to the incident, Yape attended a hearing at the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) at the provincial police office, the details of which are yet to be determined.

Quoting Yape’s wife, Maines said the official did not receive death threats prior to the shooting.

Police Regional Office - 7 Director Valeriano De Leon also said that he has ordered Maines an in-depth investigation into the killing.

“Binigyan ko na sya (Maines) ng instructions to broaden their gathering of information (I have instructed Maines to broaden the gathering of information),” De Leon said.

“Titingnan natin dahil sa IAS sa Crame na sya na assign… marami syang mga iniimbestigahan hindi lang dito sa Cebu City (Let’s see because he was already assigned with IAS at Camp Crame… he has investigated many cases even outside of Cebu),” De Leon said.

Yape, former chief of PIB in Cebu, was shot dead by still unidentified gunmen on board a motorcycle as he and his wife were walking to a mall in Barangay Kamputhaw. The couple had come from a function at a hotel nearby. JMO (FREEMAN)