Aguirre orders NBI: Probe Rotoras slay

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

THE police yesterday disbanded a special investigation task group it created to dig deep into Saturday’s shooting death of University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines president Ricardo Rotoras even as Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to step in and handle the murder case.

In an order signed yesterday, Aguirre directed the NBI to undertake the investigation and build the case in connection with the Dec. 2 killing of Dr. Rotoras outside his house on Cypress St., Golden Glow-North subdivision  in Upper Carmen.

Aguirre also ordered NBI Director Dante Gierran to start a case build-up and file charges against the killers of Rotoras who was also the presidentof the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (Pasuc).

He instructed Gierran to keep him posted about the Rotoras case.

NBI agents wasted no time following Aguirre’s order and went to Rotoras home to investigate.

Aguirre’s order came two days after Mayor Oscar Moreno brought the Rotoras murder to his attention. On Saturday, Moreno said he asked Aguirre to help in identifying suspects and in bringing the killers to justice.

Chief Insp. Mardy Hortilloza, spokesman of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, confirmed that the “Special Investigation Task Group Rotoras” has been disbanded.

The task group was created on Saturday by city police director Senior Supt. Roy Bahian, immediately following Rotoras’s brutal killing.

Hortilloza said the police would still help although it has stepped aside to allow the NBI to work on the Rotoras case. The police, he said, would secure the USTP campus, including Rotoras’s office.

“Nag-decide na ang Cocpo nga ang NBI na ang mag-lead sa investigation. Kami sa police alaylay mi, kon na-ay data nga among makuha among ihatag sa NBI,” Hortilloza said.