Pubdate: Sat, 07 Dec 2002
Source: Manila Times (Philippines)
Copyright: 2002, The Manila Times
Contact:  http://www.manilatimes.net/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/921
Author: Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter and Jean Fernando, Correspondent, 
With Ma. Theresa Torres

DESTABILIZERS EYED IN SLAY

Police Say Campos' Murder Part Of Plot To Undermine Gov't

The murder Thursday of Senior Supt. John Campos could be part of a plot to 
destabilize the government, a top police official said yesterday.

Chief Supt. Eduardo Matillano, Philippine National Police Criminal 
Investigation and Detection Group director, said the gunning down of Campos 
bears striking similarities with the killing of Baron Cervantes, 
self-proclaimed spokesman of the Young Officers' Union a year ago.

Cervantes was believed to have been killed by a group that was trying to 
create a climate of fear to undermine the government.

Interviewed after a command conference yesterday in Camp Crame, Matillano 
said he believes the Campos murder "is part of a bigger plot to undermine 
the administration, and we are investigating that angle."

He did not identify any group as the suspected plotters.

He said his department would assist the Southern Police District, the lead 
agency investigating the case.

Cervantes was killed in December last year in front of a convenience store 
in Las Pias City.

Matillano said that as in Cervantes' case, the murder of Campos was " 
well-planned, gruesome, and brutal."

The former narcotics agent was shot once in the head and twice in the back 
in the Tita Ghem's Pares Pares House where he stopped for bulalo soup on 
the way home to Better Living Subdivision. A stray bullet killed a waitress 
of the eatery.

A companion of Campos, Antonio Cabanban, was unharmed.

Matillano said his investigators are interested in Cabanban because he is a 
classmate of Supt. Rafael Cardeo, one of the principal suspects in the 
Cervantes murder.

"Cabanban and Cardeo are both members of Philippine Military Academy Class 
' 82, although Cabanban was dismissed from the academy - We will be looking 
at these common denominators," Matillano said.

Chief Supt. Jose Gutierrez, Southern Police District director, said his men 
have four witnesses in the Campos case, including the crew of the food stall.

Gutierrez said they have no suspects yet.

PNP Crime Laboratory chief Senior Supt. Restituto Mosqueda said the slugs 
taken from the scene of the crime were similar to M-16 slugs fragments 
which were found in the victim's body.

Cabanban said Campos had to change his telephone number four times because 
Mary Ong, the former undercover agent named Rosebud and Campos' lover, had 
been persistently calling him.

Ong has said Campos' former boss, Sen. Panfilo Lacson, was behind his murder.

"Rosebud has been stalking him, he even change his PLDT number four times 
but she eventually find out that number even if he doesn't talk to her - 
she always say things over the phone," Cabanban said.

"I don't want to think Mary is involved but with the way things are falling 
into place I think it is orchestrated," he said.

Cabanban said he and Campos have been friends for years and often saw each 
other.

They went out Wednesday night to celebrate Campos' topping his 
comptrollership course in Camp Crame.

Gutierrez said they have a copy of the transcript of the text messages to 
Campos' cellular phone before he was killed.

He refused to give the names of those who sent the messages.

Yesterday, Sergio Campos, brother of the victim, asked Ong to "stop making 
accusations and let the police handle the investigation."

He also advised Ong to stop pretending as if she still cared for his brother.

"We are not interested in seeing her in television crying ... she is not 
welcome here, she should let John rest in peace," Campos said.

He said his brother had been receiving death threats early this year but he 
did not take them seriously.

Yesterday, the Department of Justice formed a panel of prosecutors that 
would handle the preliminary investigation once the Campos case is filed. 
Paraaque City Prosecutor Joaquin Escobar said he would assign Paraaque 
Second Assistant City Prosecutor Rene Garcia and Third Assistant City 
Prosecutor Antonette Medina to the case.
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MAP posted-by: Beth