MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) - President Benigno Aquino III on Monday ordered Philippine National Police (PNP) Regional Director for Central Luzon Allan Purisima to prioritize the investigation into the death of the son of lawyer Oliver Lozano.
The younger Lozano’s body was found dumped and burned in Porac, Pampanga, days after being abducted by still unidentified men.
“The discovery of what police have identified as the remains of the son of Atty. Oliver Lozano yesterday points to a grisly crime that is being thoroughly investigated to ensure the perpetrators are brought to justice,” Aquino said in a statement.
“The younger Lozano was allegedly abducted along with his driver [Ernanie Sensil] last Wednesday while on his way to reportedly meet a client. The remains of the driver were found a day later, and the van itself found abandoned,” he added.
“It is still too early to point to a particular suspect or suspects. The public will be updated on the progress of the case, and all steps will be taken in keeping with the serious nature of the crime,” Aquino said.
Chief Superintendent Leonardo Espina, head of the PNP Highway Patrol Group, said PNP Chief Director General Raul Bacalzo ordered the creation of a special investigation task force that will dig deeper” into the 2 murders. Espina said they have leads to a suspect.
“Tingnan natin kasi medyo gory yung nangyari parang hindi carnapper. Pag carnapping kasi, ang typical ay pera-pera lang ang habol pero ito, gory. But again, I can't say anything conclusive,” he said.
mistaken identity?
The victim’s father echoed Espina’s statement.
In an interview with TV Patrol, the Marcos lawyer said the crime could have been a case of mistaken identity. He said he discussed the issue with some veteran police investigators.
"Nagtanong-tanong ako sa veteran police investigators, yung kanyang pagpaslang ay angkop lamang sa mga notorious and hardened criminals, and my son is not like that," Lozano said. "He's a good family man, hardworking, humble, and has good public relations." "Napakabrutal ng pagpatay sa kanya. Mukhang tinangka pang itago ang kaso at iligaw ang imbestigasyon," he added.
“In behalf of my family, we would like to thank all who gave sympathy to what happened to my son... even the President’s efforts,” Lozano said. “We have no idea what the motive is, but we are appealing to everybody sino mang may alam ay matulungan kami." The police task force investigating the 2 killings started their work Monday.
The team includes officers from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), the Highway Patrol Group, the PNP Crime Lab, the PNP Intelligence Group, and the Quezon City police.
The CIDG said that the younger Lozano and Sensil, whose bodies were found in Pampanga and Tarlac, were killed in the same way.
Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona, deputy director of the PNP-CIDG, said the 2 victims were both shot in the head before their bodies were burned.
Lozano’s body is currently at the St. Peter Crematorium in Quezon Avenue.
Sensil’s remains, meanwhile, are still at a funeral parlor in Tarlac City because police have yet to finish their autopsy on his body. – Reports from Jorge Cariño,
