The top police official here has vowed to solve the series of shooting incidents, including the slaying of veteran radio broadcaster Renato “Rey” Cortes on Thursday.
Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) chief Col. Josefino Ligan on Friday said they recorded at least 15 shooting incidents in July alone, which took place mostly at nighttime.
“Our directive to the police station chiefs is to focus on the 15 shooting incidents, seven of them are drug-related. A SITG (special investigation task group) is formed to focus on the case of Rey Cortes,” Ligan said in a radio interview.
He added that the investigating team will review previous broadcasts of Cortes to look for leads for possible motives.
“Everyone mentioned in his program, including politicians and all those who have roles in maintaining his commentary program, we consider them all for the review,” said Lt. Colonel Wilbert Parilla, CCPO deputy chief for operations, during Friday’s press briefing.
Ligan added they will look into the kind of bullets used in killing Cortes as well as the type of firearm, citing a theory that the broadcaster was killed by a sniper.
The regional crime laboratory, Parilla said, is yet to release the result of the autopsy on the victim, which can assist investigators in determining which gun was used.
On Thursday, the Cebu Citizens-Press Council (CCPC), in a statement, called for a thorough investigation in the killing of Cortes, describing the incident as “heinous and sensational crime”.
Cortes was gunned down in front of DYRB-AM radio station along N. Bacalso Avenue in Mambaling.
Source: Philippines News Agency
