By Jennifer P. Rendon
Anti-narcotics police unit or hit squad?
The police officer who admitted having taken part in twin murders in Iloilo City on January 19, 2020 claimed that the City Drug Enforcement Unit (CDEU) orchestrated the incidents.
The CDEU is the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO)’s anti-drug unit.
This “revelation” was part of an uploaded 23-minute video of what appeared to be Police Corporal Joseph Andrew Joven’s testimony.
Joven is the self-confessed driver of the vehicle used in killing of alleged drug personality Alain Muller and businessman Delfin Britanico.
On May 29, the National Bureau of Investigation filed murder and theft charges against Police Corporals Jerry Villanueva, Joseph Andrew Joven, and two unidentified suspects.
Colonel Eric Dampal, Iloilo City Police Chief, was not immediately reached for comment.
On the other hand, Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) spokesperson, said that Joven’s claims would form part of the investigation the PRO-6 will conduct on police officers implicated in Britanico’s murder.
In Joven’s testimony, it was not clear how Villanueva participated in the murder. He narrated, though, the roles of the four other policemen that he implicated.
These include Police Staff Sergeant Ricardo Cabrera Morante, Police Master Sergeant Vernie Lui Escorial, Police Staff Sergeant Freddie Hibalo Libo-on, and Police Staff Sergeant de Felipe.
The four officers were already reassigned to the PNP Regional Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit (RPHAU).
Based on records, de Felipe is assigned with the Iloilo City Police Station 2; Escorial is with the Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) headquarters sentinel; Morante is with ICPS1; and Libo-on is with the Dumangas Police Station.
Joven named Morante and Escorial as the gunmen in his sworn statement, together with his application to be a State witness filed with the Office of the Prosecutor General in the Department of Justice in Ermita, Manila.
De Felipe and Libo-on were allegedly in the vehicle when the killing happened.
CLAIMS
Joven said he was tasked to rent a car from a certain Papo. Morante allegedly gave him the money on January 17.
He was told to buy Panaflex plate and stickers to cover the rented vehicle’s real license plate. He got the vehicle on January 18.
Joven said he told Papo that he needed it to drive his visitors around the city.
On the evening of the same day, Morante told him to prepare the vehicle – a Mitsubishi Adventure – early morning of January 19.
He was told to go to the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) canteen, which was located inside the ICPO camp.
Joven said Morante told him to park the vehicle somewhere else, which he did.
He went to the canteen and asked Morante and Escorial about the plan.
But Joven knew that Muller was the alleged target.
Morante allegedly made a sketch and instructed him how to drive around in Muller’s place.
He was also strictly told to perform his only role, which is to serve as driver.
They allegedly waited for a team from the CDEU until they decided to call someone from CDEU.
The CDEU team allegedly claimed they were waiting at the back portion of the Jaro Police Station.
They went to the area and picked up de Felipe and Libo-on. They proceeded to an area near the village where Muller lived.
They waited a little longer as their female asset claimed that Muller has yet to go out of his house.
“Dugay to amon hulat. Nag-start kami siguro hulat mga alas-otso na to asta mga alas-onse. Tapos nagtawag na ang asset nga ara na si Muller sa saguwa. Hambal ni Morante sa amon, ready na kamo. Nagtawag ang asset, bale ang asset nagtawag sa CDEU kay ila to project,” Joven narrated.
They were told to get ready as the CDEU called up that the target is already positive.
He was even told how to navigate the area going to where Muller was.
Joven said that it was Morante who first alighted from the vehicle and shot Muller. Escorial followed and did the same.
He also mentioned that the “other two” should also alight as back-up but they failed after they appeared to be stunned by what happened.
Before leaving, he said they purposely threw three empty shells from other guns to mislead in the investigation done by Crime Lab personnel.
They immediately left the area and circled the establishments in Mandurriao before going to Prime Estate where an “extraction team” will get his companions.
It is at that area where he allegedly began peeling off the stickers that he used to cover the license plate.
At that time, they also took off their masks.
The plan was to have him drive the vehicle for a while before returning it to Papo.
PICTURES TAKEN
Joven claimed they were detaching the stickers when Britanico arrived.
Morante noticed the businessman and told the team that somebody was following them.
Britanico left the area but only to make a U-turn and returned to their location.
De Felipe then informed them that someone snapped a picture of them. Except him, the four returned inside the vehicle.
He attempted to cover the license plate by opening the vehicle’s back door.
Escorial peeped through the vehicle and asked if Britanico was done taking pictures.
Morante then shouted at Escorial to get inside the vehicle. He readily took the wheel and blocked Delfin’s way.
Morante then told them, “Ako bahala.”
Morante lowered the vehicle’s window and asked Britanico, “Sir, ngaa nga gin-picturan mo kami haw?”
Delfin retorted, “ano karon kay daw suspicious sa inyo.”
When Morante asked Delfin where he lived, he also pointed to an area in La Paz claiming, “dira ko ga istar hu.”
Morante then told Britanico that he also lived there. It was at that juncture that the businessmen attempted to dial his phone.
Morante then shot Britanico until his gun’s magazine was empty.
Delfin allegedly moved, prompting Escorial to shoot him again.
They sped off only to remember that part of the license plate was not covered. They again covered it using a Spongebob sticker.
They then threw Britanico’s mobile phone after turning it off.
De Felipe and Libo-on got rattled thinking that the phone has a GPS.
He then dropped them off at ICPO.
Joven called Papo and asked him to extend his car rental.
When he later returned the vehicle, he confessed that it was involved in a crime.
They have been calling up and he even told Papo that he was afraid claiming that Morante and Escorial seemed dangerous.
After that, they met Escorial and even told him of his fear that they could have him killed.
They later modified the vehicle and left it in Oton with Morante’s friend, who is allegedly a man who used to work for (drug personality Melvin) Odicta.
At some point, Morante allegedly claimed that whoever squealed will be killed.
When he was asked by the “video interviewer” about his companions, Joven again narrated that he was with Escorial, Morante, de Felipe, and Libo-on.
Joven again repeated that he wanted Britanico’s phone to be recovered to show that five of them were inside the vehicle.
He claimed he was later informed that Britanico’s father was a politician, former Barangay Association for National Advancement and Transparency (BANAT) party-list Rep. and former Iloilo Assemblyman Salvador “Buddy” Britanico, Delfin’s father.
DENIAL
De Felipe denied Joven’s accusation in a press conference on Thursday.
Just like Britanico’s family, De Felipe claimed he also wanted justice after he was allegedly wrongfully accused.
“I sympathize with them. Ako subong nagapangayo man ko sang hustisya sa pag-implicate sang ngalan ko sa krimen nga natabo sa ila,” he said.
De Felipe said he didn’t know Britanico until the latter was killed.
He theorized that Joven might be retaliating or was possibly hallucinating as he was high on drugs.
De Felipe said they once asked Joven’s superior officer to subject him to drug test on suspicions that he was involved in illegal drugs.
Joven, who was assigned at the ICPO Holding and Accounting Unit, has not reported for work sometime in March 2020 when the ICPO ordered a random drug test on its personnel.
He was later declared charged for AWOL and failure to undergo drug test.
The other officers that Joven tagged in the twin killings have yet to issue their statements.
