Pubdate: Thu, 07 Jul 2005
Source: Sun.Star Cebu (Philippines)
Copyright: 2005 Sun.Star
Contact:  http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1690
Author: JST
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Summary+Execution
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/areas/Philippines

SUMMARY EXECUTIONERS REMAIN UNIDENTIFIED

After almost seven months, 66 people have died in vigilante-style
attacks in Cebu City, but the police force has yet to identify their
killers.

Supt. Melvin Gayotin, acting police director, and Insp. Mario Monilar,
homicide section chief, yesterday admitted difficulties in pinning
down the gunmen.

While both officials agreed that the manner the killings were carried
out was the same, they ruled out the possibility that only one group
is behind the murders.

Monilar said that each case could have been done by different people
who had been victimized by the robbers and wanted to retaliate.

Monilar and Gayotin also lamented the lack of cooperation from
witnesses and relatives of the victims.

On suspicions that the killers were a group of policemen-which could
explain the relatives' reluctance to file a complaint with the
police-Gayotin said they could always run to the National Bureau of
Investigation and the Commission on Human Rights.

"All we have are theories, but we are not sitting on the cases,"
Gayotin said.

Gayotin said they have invited several witnesses and relatives to help
solve the crimes, but majority declined.

The most important factor in any police investigation is the
witnesses' cooperation, and without it, "We are still facing a blank
wall," the police chief said.

Gayotin also observed that there appeared to be "public acceptance" of
the rash of killings. Nearly all of the victims were criminal suspects
or convicts.

The latest fatality was Michael Conejos, 25, who died of multiple
gunshot wounds in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City last Monday night.

Conejos was jailed thrice at the Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center
since 1997 to 2004 for robbery, theft and possession of illegal drugs.
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