PRESIDENT Aquino on Tuesday gave his assurance that those responsible for the death of Italian priest Fr. Fausto Tentorio “will pay” for their crime, regardless of who they are.

Mr. Aquino also said in an interview after attending the Coast Guard anniversary at the Port Area in Manila that authorities are exploring several leads and “theories,” among them, the involvement of a paramilitary group in Tentorio’s death and other “threat groups.”

The Philippine National Police said on Tuesday that it might have established a possible lead into the killing of Tentorio after it found out that the priest had received death threats before he was murdered.

This, as Director General Nicanor Bartolome ordered the creation of “Special Investigation Task Group Fausto” to lead the investigation of the killing and bring the perpetrators behind the bars of justice.

Prelates appealed to the government to give justice to Fr. Tentorio. 

At the same time, some bishops said a possible motive to Tentorio’s killing was his strong opposition to mining.

Tentorio, 59, a missionary from the Vatican-based Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (Pime) and who had been in North Cotabato for more than three decades, had reportedly received death threats from unknown individuals.

He was shot dead outside the convent of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Barangay Poblacion, Arakan, North Cotabato, on Monday morning.

He was the parish priest of the Our Lady of Perpetual Church in Arakan Valley and headed the Kidapawan diocese’s Ministry on Indigenous Peoples (IPs).

He was also known as a human- rights and staunch anti-mining advocate in the province.

His murder has torn his family in Italy, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news said on Tuesday

Felix, the priest’s elder brother, said they were “shocked and dismayed” over the killing of Tentorio, who spent most of his life serving the people in the Diocese of Kidapawan.

“The last time my brother came to Italy, a year and a half ago, he told us that the situation in Kidapawan was not tense at all, that there was nothing to fear,” he said.

“And now this news…We always advised him to be cautious, be careful,” he lamented.

The Tentorios in Santa Maria de Robagnate in Lecco province received the news of his death on Monday night. The Pime superior in Milan also paid them a visit.

In 2003, Pime’s blog said, Tentorio had narrowly escaped being executed, on one of his visits to tribals of Kitaotao, Bukidnon province, portions of which are part of the parish of Arakan.

Since then the “situation had calmed down and there were no major signs of tension,” it said.

Tentorio’s nephew, Simone, 27, a bank clerk, visited his uncle in North Cotabato in January.

“He was very peaceful and serene, even if he was prudent. When we passed areas that he did not know, he locked the car and closed the windows,” he said. “But there seemed to be no problems. I even walked to visit the place and the house where he had escaped execution in 2003.”

He described his uncle as a man of simplicity and humility, adding that “he was a person who wanted to live exactly like the local people and he was loved because of this.”

Asked if the suspects would be pursued even if they belong to paramilitary groups, the President said, “There should be no doubt. Regardless of who did the crime, they will have to pay. That has been the direction of this administration from the start—you do the crime; you will be in jail.”

Mr. Aquino said the government is not yet ready to identify the suspects as the matter is still under investigation.

“At this point, we are not prepared to name the suspects involved in this. Our police authorities are still developing all the leads that have been unearthed,” Mr. Aquino said.

Asked to confirm reports that the killers are allegedly linked to a paramilitary group, the President said, “That is one theory. There are other theories pointing to other threat groups.”

Chief Supt. Agrimero Cruz Jr., PNP spokesman, said the task group, which is headed by Chief Supt. Lester Camba, deputy regional director for administration of the Police Regional Office 12, has began gathering evidence.

Cruz said that based on the initial investigation, Tentorio had received death threats from still unidentified sources over his strong involvement against mining in the province.

 “We are validating the threats that were allegedly made on Fr. Tentorio and they were centered on mining. These threats may have led to the killing of Fr. Tentorio,” he said.

Camba said the killer, who was running out from the church compound, was seen by a witness but the latter could not describe him as the distance was about 200 meters.

Cruz said that while the mining angle was being pursued, this does not mean that they were already discarding other possible motives.

Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, Armed Forces public information office chief, said the military is supporting the PNP in its investigation into the killing of Tentorio.

He said Armed Forces Chief of Staff Eduardo Oban ordered all military forces in North Cotabato to render all possible assistance needed to the resolution of the murder.

In a Church-run radio, Zamboanga City-based Pime regional superior Fr. Giovanni Re and Kidapawan Bishop Romulo de la Cruz appealed to President Aquino to immediately solve the crime and bring justice not only to Tentorio but also to the killings of other priests in North Cotabato.

Re added that it was “disappointing to see that priests and other people were killed when they were only trying to help the community.” 

However, he said that despite the killing, his fellow priests in Pime would still continue to serve their communities and the indigenous people in the Philippines.

Marbel Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez seconded de la Cruz’s claim, linking the death of Tentorio to mining, and urged the government to not allow mining in the area.

(With S. Fabunan and R. Acosta)