ILIGAN CITY鈥擯hilippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo T. Eleazar has ordered a thorough investigation of the killing of Sulu police chief Col. Michael Bawayan on Friday afternoon by a fellow police officer in Jolo town.
Bawayan, 49, was gunned down by Police Staff Sgt. Imran Jilah at a checkpoint in Barangay Asturias after an altercation over the latter鈥檚 long hair.
After shooting Bawayan, Jilah was also killed by his superior鈥檚 aides.
Jilah, 43, who is assigned at the 3rd Maneuver Platoon of the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company, was manning the quarantine control checkpoint when Bawayan conducted an inspection.
In a statement, Eleazar said he has instructed Brig. Gen. Eden Ugale, police director of the chief of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to constitute 鈥渁 special investigation task group (SITG) at the regional level鈥� to coordinate the probe.
Philippine National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar (INQUIRER file photo / NI脩O JESUS ORBETA)
The SITG, according to Eleazar, will be composed of investigative teams from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, Regional Intelligence Division, crime laboratory, Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, and Jolo police station.
鈥淲e do not want to make hasty conclusions at this point. We鈥檇 rather await the result of the investigation,鈥� Eleazar said.
He added that he is not giving a deadline for the probe 鈥渢o avoid undue pressure that may lead to haphazard results.鈥�
Heartbreaking
In Cotabato City, Ugale said Bawayan鈥檚 killing 鈥渋s undeniably heartbreaking to the entire police force of the Police Regional Office of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region (PRO BAR).鈥�
Ugale, however, said it was just 鈥渁n isolated incident鈥� which will not affect the discharge by the region鈥檚 police personnel of their duty.
Ugale called on the region鈥檚 police force 鈥渢o take a pause and pray for the repose of the soul of Police Col. Bawayan.鈥�
鈥淗is sacrifice while serving the community will not be forgotten and (he) will be remembered as a devoted police officer,鈥� Ugale said.