Filtered By: Topstories
News
Men posing as cops took missing CAR activist, says witness
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet â A second eye witness has also claimed before the court that missing Cordillera activist James Balaoâs abductors introduced themselves as a police officers. Testifying on Wednesday at the Regional Trial Court branch 63 on the second hearing of a writ of amparo petition filed by Balaoâs lawyer, the witness using the code name âAnvil" for security reasons, swore he saw armed introducing themselves as policemen taking Balao. Last week, the first witness named only as âJun" also told presiding Judge Benigno Galacgac that the 47-year old activist from the left-leaning Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) was taken by the supposed policemen because of his involvement in illegal drugs. Chief Supt. Eugene Martin, police director for the Cordillera Administrative Region, said his command did not take Balao and was not interested in him. Martin bewailed that Balaoâs colleagues were âmuddling" the issue and refused to cooperate with investigators. He said probers would have wanted to question those whom had direct contact with when he was supposedly traveling from his temporary house in Baguio to Tomay barangay in La Trinidad where he was taken. In particular, Martin said, probers wanted to question a certain âUncle John", a certain âRene" and others residing in the same boarding house prior to Balaoâs disappearance âbut the CPA is not responsive and not cooperating to the request." Martin said investigators believe that if not for âinsider" information on the activities of Balao, he would not have been taken with precision. Earlier, the police theorized that aside from suspects like the police, military and personal dealings is the angle of internal wrangling within Balaoâs organization. Martin they are very transparent in the investigation of the case and also the inspection of their camps âbecause we are not hiding anybody despite the fact that the CPA is not cooperating." As far as the CPA is concerned, however had dismissed such claims by Martin and had insisted that if Balao was taken either by the military or police- GMANews.TV
Tags: jamesbalao, missingcaractivist
More Videos
Most Popular