No ‘shoot to kill’ order vs Labao

By: Felipe V. Celino ROXAS City –Police Regional Office (PRO-6) Director Agrimero Cruz denied reports of a shoot-to-kill order against controversial contractor Leodegario Labao Jr. during an attempted arrest at St. Paul Hospital in Iloilo City. Cruz also denied that the police violated some hospital rules when elements of the Ilolio City police and Regional Intelligence Division swooped down on the hospital to arrest Labao. In an interview with DyOW Bombo Radyo Thursday noon, Cruz said the statement of Labao’s lawyer Leodegario Dadivas on the shoot to kill order is not true. “We observed hospital protocol and respected its rules. We are not barbaric to immediately enter the hospital premises and have Labao arrested”, Cruz stressed. The counsel of Labao claimed his client sneaked out of St. Paul Hospital in Iloilo City last April 14 after learning of an “shoot to kill” order against him. “Engr. Labao wants to save his life the reason why he sneaked out from the hospital premises rather than be killed by the people running after him,” Dadivas said. The police regional chief said the gateway car which Labao is now in police custody and the driver had already been identified (The owner of the car, Marilou Villasis, had surfaced to clear her side of charges of obstruction of justice and harboring of criminals). The police are mulling to file obstruction of justice against the hospital and the driver of the car for letting Labao escape. Labao is one of the five charged with the murder of the late Mambusao Vice Mayor Abel Martinez. The other co-accused are Philippine Army Staff Sergeant Rommel Pamotillo, Geger Francisco, Sunday Danid and Roger Loredo who are now in the custody of police. Martinez, 79, died of five bullet wounds after he was shot by a lone gunman outside his house in Barangay Poblacion Proper, Mambusao town, 45 kilometers southeast of Roxas City. Labao, a contractor and owner of the Kirskat Venture construction firm, has denied involvement in the killing. He is running for mayor of Mambusao under the National Unity Party