City police chief says death of former Anakpawis leaders in Tacloban not extra judicial killings

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
July 22, 2007

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  The early Friday morning killing of Rogelio Picoy and early this week of Charlie Solayao, are not extra judicial killings based on the initial information taken from witnesses that both men started to get death threats after they terminated their ties with the Anakpawis group.

On Friday, Col. Romulo Cleve Taboso informed that the Philippine National Police Tacloban City already have positive leads as to the  killing of former Anakpawis chairman Rogelio Picoy which he said is connected with the killing early this week of Charlie Solayao, also a former member of the Anakpawis partylist.

Col. Taboso revealed he has already dispatched members of the Tacloban City PNP investigation section to follow up on the leads which were received by the office and he has already requested for a comparative analysis of the bullet shells retrieved from the Dacut, Solayao and Picoy killings.

Col Taboso said that the two killing incidents are connected considering that both victims have both been former members of Anakpawis and both were killed with a .45 caliber pistol just as Atty. Dacut was killed with a .45 caliber pistol, last year.

Initial investigations on the Picoy case only confirms the initial PNP assessment that point out to internal rift within the organization as the cause of the killings, Col. Taboso informed. This was gathered from the statement of the wife of Picoy and the other witnesses, Col. Taboso said.

In a Radio interview, the wife of Picoy said that his husband started receiving threats since he resigned as chairperson of the Anakpawis Group and become member of the Guardians Brotherhood.

The killing of Picoy shed light on the cause of the killing of Charlie Solayao early this week. Col. Taboso said and this only strengthened the determination of the Philippine National Police to exert more efforts for the early solution of both cases.