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Duterte: ‘Siguro baka Army…kasi harap-harapan’ ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY MERIANNE GRACE EREÑETA and PRINCE GOLEZ, Manila Reporter
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ILOILO City – President Rodrigo Duterte hinted that the Philippine Army may have a hand in the assassination of suspected drug lord Melvin “Boyet” Odicta Sr., known in police circles as “Dragon.” Or was he joking?
“Odicta. Wala eh. Si Odicta sinalvage. Siguro baka Army ‘yun…Kasi harap-harapan man. Army harap-harapan eh…” said Duterte at the close of his speech before the Star Troopers of the Philippine Army’s 5th Infantry Division at Camp Melchor F. Dela Cruz in Gamu, Isabela on Saturday.
Duterte also confirmed that Odicta was included in his new drug list yet to be made public.
He said his list contained names of barangay captains, police officers, mayors, governors, and judges.
“O kita mo nandyan. Labas talaga. Odicta,” said Duterte.
His list was verified by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, stressed the President.
Odicta and wife Meriam were shot dead at the Caticlan jetty port in Malay, Aklan on Aug. 29, four days after meeting Interior secretary Ismael Sueno to deny they were involved in illegal drugs.
On Saturday, Duterte said he will give the military his list of politicians and police officials he claimed to be involved in the illegal drug trade.
The country’s Armed Forces are “the ultimate warriors” in the Constitution “to protect the people,” he explained.
The 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) based in Jamindan, Capiz believed the President was just joking when he said the Army could be behind the Odicta killings.
“Napanuod din namin at nabasa ang transcript ng speech niya. Kung titignan natin ‘yung pagkakasabi niya, parang joke lang ng Pangulong ‘yun,” said Captain Gizelle Lim, 3ID acting public affairs officer.
Lim refused to further divine what the President meant.
Only the President could explain what he meant, she stressed.
In a statement he issued hours after Odicta was killed, the President sounded convinced that the slain Iloilo businessman was into drug trafficking.
“He was wanted, and he was the No. 1 drug lord. Talagang drug lord ito,” said Duterte at the wake of a policeman in Catbalogan, Samar.
Odicta and his wife were walking at the walkway of the Caticlan jetty port after alighting from a roll-on, roll-off vessel when they were shot by a still unidentified gunman.
“Iyang Odicta, he was really being hunted. Inabot talaga siya ng malas. Sino ang sumunod dito kay Odicta? Bakante ngayon,” the President said in Samar.
The President vowed to defend the military and police in the performance of their duties.
“Just do what is the mandate of the Constitution…I will protect you. I will not allow one police or one military to go to jail for doing his duty,” he said on Saturday.
Autopsy results showed there could be more than one gunman in the Odicta double slay case. There were speculations, too, that the gunmen were also on the ship that the Odicta couple took from Batangas to Malay, Aklan.
Odicta died of four gunshot wounds – on the right leg, buttocks, body, and head. Meriam, on the other hand, had one fatal gunshot wound in the back. The bullet pierced her spine.
The Odictas were buried on Sept. 11 at Forest Lake Memorial Park in Mandurriao district.
According to the President, Odicta “was corrupting everybody — lahat, pati iyong mga governors. May isang governor dito sa Visayas. I named him before.”
The Police Regional Office 6 ordered an investigation into the Odicta killings. But no witness has so far surfaced.
“Kami naman po ay sinusuportaran ang investigation na ginagawa ng ating PNP counterpart para malaman kung ano ang totoo,” said Lim./PN
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