ILOILO CITY – Philippine National Police chief Gen. Nicolas D. Torre III is set to review the rape-slay of a Slovakian tourist at world-famous Boracay Island and the murder of veteran journalist Juan “Johnny” Dayang, which are two unsolved cases in Aklan province.
PHILIPPINE National Police chief Police Gen. Nicolas D. Torre III, with Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky of the Police Regional Office-6 in Iloilo City. (Tara Yap)
“I will review it. I will ask for updates of the cases,” Torre said in response to a question posed by Manila Bulletin while he was in Iloilo City over the weekend.
The Aklan Police Provincial Office (APPO) under Police Col. Arnel Ramos is under fire for contradicting and confusing public statements regarding the two brutal deaths – one at the country’s most popular beach destination in Malay town and the other in the provincial capital of Kalibo.
Ramos heads the Special Investigation Task Groups (SITGs) in the rape-slay of 23-year-old Michaela Mickova in Boracay Island last March and the assassination of the 89-year-old Dayang in Kalibo last April.
While a rape with homicide case has been filed against suspects in the Slovakian’s killing, the APPO would not give out details, including the number of suspects or how many have been arrested.
It was Police Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky, Police Regional Office-6 chief, who gave concrete information to the media.
The APPO under Ramos is also under fire for declaring that Dayang’s murder case is already “cleared” without arresting anyone for the fatal shooting of the elderly journalist.
“Justice doesn’t stop at paperwork. It moves when people are held accountable,” the Dayang family said in a statement.
The APPO said Dayang’s case was already “cleared” in terms of PNP terminology with the identification of one of the suspects and the subsequent filing of the case in court.
The Aklan media and community said they understand that certain information cannot be publicly divulged but urged police to issue clear and truthful statements instead of misleading statements.
Torre assured the PNP is still prioritizing these two high-profile cases.