PNP expects solution of Lozano abduction-slay in 1 week

Saying it has at least one witness, the Philippine National Police expects to solve in one week's time the brutal killing of the son of Marcos lawyer Oliver Lozano. The elder Lozano said Tuesday PNP chief Director General Raul Bacalzo disclosed this to him in a confidential briefing Monday night. "Bacalzo sought me out Monday night to give me a confidential briefing. The assessment is that the case may be solved within a week due to the cooperation of the public and the work of the police and the National Bureau of Investigation," he said in Filipino in an interview on dzBB radio. He said he was "very pleased" with the work so far of the special task force created by the PNP with the instruction of President Benigno Aquino III.
The elder Lozano said at least one witness is now with the special task force and NBI, but refused to give further details. Bacalzo said authorities are going full blast in their investigation but they cannot talk about the leads lest they jeopardize the operations. Lozano's son Emerson, 44, and driver Ernani Sensil were last seen alive last Jan. 12, while meeting a prospective buyer of a Kia van in Quezon City. Sensil's charred body was found the next day (Thursday) in Tarlac, while that of Lozano was found Friday in Pampanga. Police had set up a special task group to look into the incident. Initial findings showed the younger Lozano and Sensil were shot in the nape. The bullet that killed Lozano went through the nape and exited his left cheek. The bullet that killed Sensil went through his lung. Motive The elder Lozano said he still believes his son's murder was a case of mistaken identity, as there was an intent to kill by the perpetrator. But he insisted his son had no enemies. He said he could not believe carjackers would kill the owners of the vehicles they take. "Ang pamaraan ng pamamaslang angkop sa notorious and hardened criminals, not to a good family man. Di rin konektado sa political activities ko o practice sapagkat I have strictly followed the guideline kung may controversy o ipaglalaban yung personal at sporting ang aking pamamaraan. Ang katunggali ko pagkatapos ng controversy nagbabatian at nagyayakapan," he said. (The method of killing was that of a hardened criminal. I doubt it is connected to the cases I am handling because I have conducted myself in a sporting manner. I may fight with my adversaries in court but outside the court we shake hands and even hug.) The elder Lozano also said there was no reason to kill his son because of his work as a village councilor. "I still believe this was a case of mistaken identity. There was an intent to kill the target whoever he may be, but the target was not my son because he is not involved in anything bad," he said. Evangelista case Meanwhile, Arsenio Evangelista, whose son Venson remains missing since a "similar" possible carjacking case last Jan. 13, rushed to Nueva Ecija to follow a lead. The elder Evangelista said he received an information from police about a body found there, but declined to give further details. "Since day one, patay ang cell phone niya. So no sign, no nothing (Since he was abducted, his cell phone was turned off so we have had no sign from him)," he said in a separate interview on dzBB. He said his son was last seen alive at 4 p.m. last Jan. 13, when a prospective buyer entered the family's car showroom of used cars in Cubao. The elder Evangelista said at least two witnesses saw a green Pajero follow the Land Cruiser Evangelista allowed the buyer to test-drive. He said the witnesses saw a passenger from the Pajero get off the car and board the Land Cruiser. The witness supposedly saw a brief scuffle, after which the Land Cruiser sped away. 'Similar modus operandi' Evangelista said he visited the elder Lozano Monday night at St. Peter's Chapel in Quezon City, where the wake for the younger Lozano was held. "I was disturbed because the pattern between the cases of Venson and Enerson was similar. We both advertised used cars and the possible perpetrators were walk-in customers," Evangelista said in Filipino. He said that in his case, it was the first time in 20 years that a seller was abducted along with the vehicle. "Lahat pinakakawalan di sinusunog, pera-pera lang, kotse-kotse lang, crimes against property lang (In past cases, it was just the vehicles that were taken. It was just a crime against property)," he said. Meanwhile, dzBB's Glen Juego reported the Lozano family has tentatively scheduled Emerson's burial for Thursday. The report quoted Lozano's brother Wendell as saying they expected relatives from Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, and Australia to arrive for the wake. — LBG, GMANews.TV