Ilocos cop chief blamed for ex-lawmaker’s slay

MANILA, Philippines — The widow of former La Union congressman Eufranio Eriguel has blamed the police director of the Ilocos region for the killing of her husband. 

In a privilege speech on Monday night, La Union Rep. Sandra Eriguel said Chief Superintendent Romulo Sapitula recalled their police escorts a few days before her husband was gunned down.

“I firmly believe that if it were not for the orders of Sapitula to pull out our police security detail… the shooting... may have been prevented... my husband could have been alive today,” Eriguel said.  

“This was despite the fact that Franny survived an attempt on his life. Last April 30, 2016, he was targeted with an improvised explosive device planted on a motorcycle which exploded as his convoy passed along a road in Agoo,” she said. 

Eriguel said her husband “pleaded” with former La Union police chief Senior Superintendent Genaro Sapiera not to pull out all of their police escorts “due to active threats on our lives.”

“But Sapiera insisted that he has orders coming from Sapitula... Without our police security detail, each one of us became vulnerable to any attack,”she said. 

Eriguel called on her colleagues to “look into the actions of the police days before the brutal and cowardly murder of my husband... to prevent it... from being committed again.” 

“We owe it to the people, especially to the peace-loving people of La Union, to pass relevant laws that can stop this culture of violence,” she said.

The former lawmaker was addressing candidates of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections in Barangay Capas in Agoo on May 12 when men wearing masks shot him.

Also killed were his two bodyguards when they tried to shield him.