Pubdate: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer (Philippines) Copyright: 2004 Philippine Daily Inquirer Contact: http://www.inquirer.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1073 Author: Anthony S. Allada Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?236 (Corruption - Outside U.S.) EX-COP NABBED FOR SLAY OF RIGHTS LEADER Police authorities here on Saturday said they arrested a former police officer, who resembled the gunman in the murder of human rights leader Rashid Manahan. Chief Insp. Matthew Baccay, San Pedro police station commander, said Dennis Fernando was arrested with another companion during a drug bust here on Friday. Fernando, 37, also yielded a revolver during the raid, he said. Baccay said they would present the former police officer before witnesses in the Manahan murder. Fernando denied involvement in the murder, saying he did not know the victim and had never heard of his death. Manahan was on his way to a forum on the series of summary executions here on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen pumped at least four bullets into his body. He died while being rushed to the hospital by one of the forum speakers, Dr. Nymia Simbulan of the Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights). Manahan was to drive Simbulan to the venue when he was shot. Baccay said the firearm recovered from Fernando would be tested to determine if it was the same weapon used in killing Manahan. He said policemen were optimistic that the identities of those behind the Manahan murder could already be established. Earlier, city police chief Supt. Conrado Laza said they were looking at four angles in the killing of Manahan, including a love triangle. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was cautious even with the police claim that Fernando resembled the suspect, whose description witnesses provided police artists. He said it would be important for the police to thoroughly check the suspect's background. The connection of Fernando to the Manahan killing could only be determined if facts are established, he said. "I want to check. We will know that if the slugs found in the victim's body would match this," Duterte told reporters as he showed them one of the bullets recovered from the gun seized from Fernando. Rev. Jonathan Ulanday of the United Methodist Church, welcomed the arrest of the suspect. But Ulanday, Manahan's colleague in the antisummary execution movement, said he was hoping that the police revelation about the suspect's resemblance to the gunman was not made "for the sake of beating the deadline." Duterte had earlier given the police seven days from Wednesday to solve the case . "Whether he is the real one or not, he should be granted the basic human rights guaranteed [for] any suspect," Ulanday told the Inquirer.