Police look for new leads in priest slay

MANILA, Philippines — Police are tracing the activities of the arrested suspect in the shooting of Catholic priest Richmond Nilo in Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija, in the hope of finding leads to the identities and whereabouts of the other suspects as well as their motive.

“We are profiling the suspect for us to know if he belongs to a group,” Chief Supt. Amador Corpus, Central Luzon police director, said in a phone interview, referring to suspect Adell Roll Milan.

Corpus said Milan is a drug personality and a gun-for-hire. The police official said Milan was also likely involved in other killings in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces.

Milan was arrested on Thursday in Barangay Malapit in San Isidro, four days after the shooting of Nilo.

Police are on the hunt for five other suspects in the priests’ killing. Investigators are having difficulty getting information from Milan as the latter has remained silent since his arrest.

An altar boy positively identified Milan as the person who shot Nilo while the latter was preparing to celebrate mass last Sunday. Corpus vouched for the witness’ credibility as the latter was reportedly just a few meters away from the suspect when the shooting took place.

“He could never forget the suspect’s eyes and face,” Corpus said.

Milan underwent inquest proceedings for murder on Friday, a day after police announced his arrest at a news briefing.

Corpus said the motive behind the priest’s murder remains unknown. But he earlier revealed three possible motives for Nilo’s murder: his alleged involvement in a land dispute, active assistance to rape victims and his staunch criticism of other religious sects.

As this developed, Milan’s mother Mylene, who works overseas, said her son could just be a fall guy. She told abs-cbnnews her son does not resemble the image in the police cartographic sketch.

She also said he is leaner than the man faintly caught on CCTV leaving the crime scene with another suspect on a motorbike.

Meanwhile, Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo said that while President Duterte may not have pulled the trigger, he still could get blame for the killing of thousands since he assumed office in 2016.

“Duterte tried to distance himself from the killings and the acts of violence. But it cannot be denied that these are happening under his watch. He also is a factor in this increase of violence,” Pabillo said in his blog “Panaghoy.” He explained Duterte’s uttering words promoting violence may have emboldened some people to engage in violent acts.

Pabillo chairs the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines-Episcopal Commission on the Laity (CBCP-ECFL).

He said rising violence has affected the country’s standing in the Global Peace Index 2018, with the Philippines now ranked second “least peaceful” country in the Asia Pacific region, after North Korea.

“Violence generates violence. If the President of the land gives out violent words in almost all his talks, violence becomes his message. If he boasts of thousands of killings and that he will exonerate his police force if they kill drug addicts, this rubs off on the people,” the CBCP official said.

“If after more than 22,000 killed ‘under investigation’ no one has been held accountable, then the message becomes clear that one can kill – for whatever reason – because the police is either so inept that they will not be able to hold anyone liable, or they can easily be bought so that no one will be caught and put on trial – as long as one is in good odor with the administration. In this sense Duterte has furthered the culture of violence in the country, and with it, the culture of impunity,” Pabillo added.

Aside from Nilo, the other priests killed recently were Fr. Marcelino Paez in December and Fr. Mark Ventura in April.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said the killing of the three priests indicates growing efforts to intimidate the Catholic Church. 

“The Church will always stand up for peace and mercy. Revenge is disconsonant with our message,” Villegas, who is also president of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), said.

In its quest for social change, the Catholic Church will always turn to prayer because “only God can soften hardened hearts,” he emphasized.

“We teach and never get tired to repeat the same message,” he said, adding that the Church will never close its doors to dialogue.

“We dialogue with those who hate us or with all those who do not share our belief. We seek the common ground,” he added.

For Sen. Leila de Lima, it’s time for the Catholic Church to speak louder against injustices and attacks from President Duterte himself.

She said the Church cannot risk becoming irrelevant by staying silent.

“Other denominations, when they deem their ranks and their beliefs are under attack, the leadership makes their voices heard and defends their church, their own, their followers and, most importantly, their faith,” De Lima said in a statement. – With Marvin Sy, Evelyn Macairan