PNP to verify if three slain belong to human rights groups

June 17, 2019

Philippine National Police ( PNP) General Oscar Albayalde on Monday said they need to verify whether two persons gunned down in Sorsogon and Naga City are members of human rights groups.

“Who knows? Maybe they are just taking advantage of that or they are saying that those were members. You know, these people they take advantage on almost everything that’s why they need to prove that those are really their members,” Albayalde said in a press briefing.

Albayalde said militants always express concern over these kind of incidents.

“We have to establish the circumstances on their death. We will look into it not necessarily because they are a member of this or that. We will give focus on it but we have other incidents also that we have to focus on also,” he said.

Police Major General Amador Corpus, chief of Crime Investigation and Detection Group ( CIDG) said the deaths of two members of Karapatan in Sorsogon and a former member of Bayan in Naga City are being investigated by CIDG and the local unit.

“We still don’t have any update but it will be provided as soon as we obtained the report from our units on the ground,” said Corpus.

Last June 15, Karapatan said two members from Sorsogon were killed a few kilometers away from the city police office in Barangay Cabid-an.

A former member of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN)-Bicol was on his way to work when he was shot dead by unidentified suspects in Barangay San Isidro, Naga City, Camarines Sur. a,strong>Ella Dionisio/DMS