By Leonardo Micua

 

THE QuadCom hearing in Congress probing the alleged extra-judicial killings (EJKs) during the previous administration yielded a positive result, at least as far as the unsolved bizarre killing in 2020 of retired General Wesley Barayuga, a member of PMA Class of 1983, a respected AFP officer known for his humility and simple life.

Then a board secretary of the PCSO, Barayuga, a lawyer, was killed by a lone hired gun riding on a motorcycle while he was driving home on board a car lent to him by the PCSO.

Pressed by members of QuadCom to tell all, Lt. Colonel Santie Mendoza read his sworn affidavit admitting his involvement in the killing and implicated his then superior, Colonel Edilberto Leonardo, now an official of the National Police Commission, who Mendoza said, acted on the direction of ex-PNP Colonel Royita Garma, then PCSO general manager.

From that hearing, it can be deduced that the killing was work-related — intended to prevent Barayuga from exposing certain irregularities in the PCSO that involved billions of pesos during the watch of Garma.

This sensational killing of a top PCSO exec would just have stayed in the thick file of cold cases in the hands of the police if not for the QuadCom in its effort to ferret out the truth on the EJKs relating to the drug war.

Following that QuadCom hearing, PNP Chief, General Francisco Marbil lost no time in ordering the reopening of the investigation of the unsolved Barayuga murder case.

The bereaved family of the late General Barayuga hailed the reopening of the case, believing that their kin was murdered to silence him from telling the truth about what was going on in the PCSO.

Barayuga’s “mistahs” in the PMA Class of 1983 are also monitoring the renewed investigation and threw their support behind his family’s quest for justice.

Mendoza was teary-eyed when he was reading his sworn affidavit and went on to apologize to the family of the slain PCSO executive, explaining that he was just following what he thought was a lawful order.

He said that Barayuga, who knew too much of the mess at PCSO, was made to appear by Leonardo as being involved in illegal drugs to justify his killing.

While Leonardo and Garma called Mendoza’s narrative as a tall tale, they were also tagged as the mastermind and financier, respectively, in the murder of three detained Chinese drug lords. They were named by the PDLs who did the killing.

As PNP chief Marbil vowed that no sacred cows will be spared during the reinvestigation of the case, we hope that the culprits will be punished to the full extent of the law.

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It felt like the world drew closer to a third global war last week following a sneak attack by Iran on Israel. Though the Israeli government said on CNN that Iran’s missile attack failed, a response could very well be expected. As to when, only the Israel Army knows.

With the announcement of U.S. President Joe Biden that his country is in full support of Israel, the war in the Middle East will continue with several more Arab countries expected to join the fray against Israel, the U.S., and their allies.

Although the theater of conflict is thousands of miles away from us, we will feel its disastrous impact when the flow of imported oil from the Middle East stops.  

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The decision of ex-Gov. Pogi Espino to stage a return bout against Gov. Ramon Guico III stems from his desire to give the people of Pangasinan a chance to compare the latter’s performance with his when he led the province for six years.

Pogi claims he did better during his initial three years in office, giving Pangasinan many national awards, including the Seal of Good Local Governance, compared to zero or if at all, under Guico.

He said he was only a barangay captain who became Liga provincial federation president, after being mayor for three terms, when he faced the seasoned politician former Fifth District Rep. Mark Cojuangco in his first run for governor, but nevertheless won by a convincing margin.

In his second term, he won over then Alaminos Mayor Art Celeste.

May the best man win in 2025.

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