(Photo courtesy of Lamitan CPS Facebook)
MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP) has beefed up border controls in Lamitan City, Basilan as tension rose after the slaying of the father of the alleged gunman in the Ateneo de Manila shooting the previous weekend.
Lt. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., PNP Officer in Charge, said cops have been deployed to checkpoints.
“We adhere to the mandate of Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and to halt the possible escape of the gunmen,” Danao said in a statement on Saturday.
He also sought the public’s cooperation in informing law enforcers of any suspicious-looking individuals in their community and to refrain from making assumptions.
“Let the probe take its course. We need concrete proof to establish the motive of the crime,” Danao said.
Abalos on Friday directed the PNP to tighten security in Lamitan City after a retired policeman, 69-year-old Rolando Yumol, was gunned down outside his house.
His son, Dr. Chao-Tiao Yumol, is jailed in Camp Karingal, Quezon City, and is facing multiple murder charges for fatally shooting former Lamitan City mayor Rose Furigay; her executive assistant, Victor Capistrano; and campus security guard Jeneven Bandiala at the Ateneo grounds along Katipunan Avenue on July 24.
“I call on the public to cooperate with police investigators. If anyone has any information that may help the PNP solve the case, I ask you to please come forward,” Abalos said in a statement. (PNA)
