By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent
THE lawyer of the family of slain religious group leader and politician Francisco Baguiz yesterday called on authorities to speed up the investigation into the May 16 murder in Gingoog City.
Lawyer Gamaliel Gallao said the police and National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) should conduct a no-nonsense investigation into the gruesome killing of Baguiz, a retired policeman turned politician, in Sioan, Gingoog City last month.
Baguiz, who ran for councilor under the ticket of Gingoog Mayor Marie Guingona, was dragged by armed men from his vehicle. They then took turns in stabbing the man who founded and led the religious group called Apocalypse International Ministry.
Gallao said authorities should see to it that suspects are charged, arrested, and brought to justice.
But he said he was worried that no suspect would be brought to justice because the armed group was said to be under the New People’s Army (NPA).
“We will leave that to the police and NBI. (They should) fasttrack the investigation, and bring the culprits to the bar of justice,” said Gallao.
Baguiz’s wife Maricon, meanwhile, faced reporters as she strongly denied an accusation by the NPA that her husband was punished for being a landgrabber.
The widow also denied that Baguiz was a cult leader.
She also denied that her husband had engaged in extortion activities using the name of the NPA, and that Baguiz had been involved in the killing of local politician Marc Bagaipo.
She said a suspect in the killing of Bagaipo is already in prison, and he never linked Baguiz to the murder.
“We are really wondering why he was linked to the killing of Bagaipo,” she said.
Ms. Baguiz showed reporters copies of documents to prove that her family owns parcels of land. She said these were bought by her husband but then indigenes made a claim.
“We bought it from lumads in Gingoog. They were the ones who went to us to sell. My husband was not a landgrabber,” Ms. Baguiz said.
She added: “The accusation that we’re a cult is also false.”
The widow showed documents that the Apocalypse International Ministry is a legal entity registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Ms. Baguiz called on the government to give them justice for the sake of her seven children.
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