By Jeffrey Damicog A government prosecutor has been assigned to conduct the preliminary investigation over the complaints filed against policemen accused of killing the aide of former Biliran Representative Glenn Chong and a female companion. Department of Justice (MANILA BULLETIN) Acting Prosecutor General Richard Anthony Fadullon said he has assigned to the case of slain aide Richard Santillan to Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Alexander Suarez. “Yung kay Santillan pina assign ko na kay SASP Suarez (I assigned the Santillan case to Suarez),” said Fadullon in a text message. Last May 17, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) the criminal cases against Calabarzon police regional director Brig. Gen. Edward Carranza and 22 other police officers for the killing of Santillan and his female companion Gessamyn Casing last December in Barangay San Andres in Cainta, Rizal. Carranza, Rizal provincial director Col. Lou Evangelista and Cainta police chief Lt. Col. Pablito Naganag were charged with obstruction of justice. While, two counts of murder and one count of planting of evidence were filed against seven officers from Cainta police station led by Lt. Sandro Ortega, four officers from provincial office of the Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group led by Capt. John Russel Barnacha and 10 operatives of Regional Special Operations Unit led by M/Sgt. Rene Eufracio. Following the conduct of an investigation and forensic examination, the NBI concluded that the incident was a rubout and not a shootout as claimed by the police officers. “The concerted acts of the above police officers, before, during and after the death of (Santillan and Casing), indubitably show causal relation, thus pointing to a joint purpose, a unity of action and a community of interest – to kill Santillan and Casing,” the complaint read. The NBI stressed that “Santillan and Casing were continuously fired upon by surrounding heavily armed police officers resulting in multiple gunshot wounds to the different parts of their bodies, which caused their deaths.” “Needless to say, Santillan and Casing were like sitting ducks overwhelmingly vulnerable to attack and clearly unable to protect their lives,” the complaint stated. Earlier, Carranza and his men had claimed that the incident last December was part of their legitimate police operations against the so-called “Highway Boys” involved in drug trade, carnapping, robbery and killings in Floodway in Cainta. They claimed that the police operatives spotted the unregistered Toyota Fortuner that was supposedly being used by the syndicate in its operations, which at that time was being driven by Santillan. They alleged they tried to flag down the vehicle but Santillan sped off resulting in a chase. When Santillan fired at the operatives, they said they were forced to retaliate. However, the NBI stated that witnesses testified that they “did not see the occupants of the vehicle fire any shot towards the police officers because the windows of the SUV were closed the entire time.” Also, the witnesses testified that a female voice was heard from the vehicle shouting: “Hindi po ako, wala akong alam (Not me, I know nothing).” The NBI also pointed out “the examination conducted on the clothes and the hands of the victims rendered negative results as to the presence of gunpowder nitrates.”