THE National Police has launched a manhunt for the 12 suspects in the killings of political activists and journalists as part of its stepped-up efforts to speed up the resolution of 141  validated incidents of unexplained killings in the country.

In a report to Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Task Force Usig, the ad-hoc body assigned to investigate cases of unexplained killings, said these suspects were linked to the murders of six militant leaders and three media personalities.

Director Jefferson Soriano, Task Force Usig commander and chief of the National Police Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management, said these suspects include Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) commander Edgardo Sevilla, who is wanted for the killing of National Democratic Front (NDF) leader and former NPA-Bicol commander Sotero Llamas.

Soriano reported that the other suspects who are now the subject of an extensive manhunt by the police are Edgar Calag, for the murder of NDF lawyer Gil Gojol; CPP-NPA member Ronnie Lomerio, for the killings of councilor Maximo Frivaldo of Sorsogon, Sorsogon, and Ding Uy; and former CPP-NPA member-turned-military asset Larry Aparato, for the murder of Bayan Muna leader Edilberto Napoles.

Roderick and Romeo Castillo, who were formerly with the Army, are also being hunted for the killing of labor union leader Ricardo Ramos in Tarlac in 2005, Soriano said.

In the cases of media practitioners who were killed, Soriano said two of the six suspects in the killing of Aurora-based journalist Philip Agustin—identified as Nilo Morete and Emmanuel Alday—have pending warrants of arrest against them.

Warrants of arrest have also been issued against Michael Garcia and a still-unidentified man involved in the killing of Batangas-based journalist Arnel Manalo, said Soriano, as well as against Buboy and Jalal Saidali, who are the primary suspects in the case of the killing of Laguna-based reporter Robert Ramos.

Danilo Valero, assistant secretary for public order, said that, as of mid-October this year, 25 suspects have been arrested—13 in the cases of murdered political activists and 12 in the cases of killed journalists.

THE National Police has launched a manhunt for the 12 suspects in the killings of political activists and journalists as part of its stepped-up efforts to speed up the resolution of 141  validated incidents of unexplained killings in the country.

MALACAŃANG accepted the resignation of Transportation Assistant Secretary Nilo Jatico, Air Transportation Office (ATO) chief, on November 12, leaving the aviation office in the hands of executive director Daniel Dimagiba.

CONTROVERSIAL Pampanga Gov. Eddie Panlilio is aking the Department of Justice (DOJ) to issue an opinion declaring as unconstitutional an ordinance enacted by the provincial board on October 22, giving town mayors the authority to supervise quarrying activities, including the collection of fees and taxes from quarry operators.

THE 2007 Gusi Peace Prize Awards, Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize, were given to 15 eminent personalities from all over the world, including three Filipinos, in ceremonies held at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City on November 21.

THE lawyer of a business tycoon has chided the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) for its failure to bring to the Sandiganbyan the son of the late dictator, who promised to present and testify on original documents purportedly showing that his late father, former President Ferdinand Marcos, owns 60 percent of nine of Lucio Tan’s companies.

A SELLER of pirated software was convicted by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Manila and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of P50,000.