Cop tagged in Halili slay calls Garma 'confused'

The police officer whom former PCSO general manager Royina Garma linked to the assassination in 2018 of Tanauan, Batangas Mayor Antonio Halili has denied the allegation.

According to Emil Sumangil's report on "24 Oras," Police Lt. Col. Kenneth Paul Albotra said he pitied Garma because she was "confused."

“Masasabi ko lang po diyan, sir, is hindi po totoo ‘yan, wala pong katotohanan ‘yan,” Albotra said.

(What I can only say is that it is not true, Sir. There’s no truth to that…) 

Halili was shot by a sniper during a flag ceremony at Tanauan City Hall in 2018. 

Investigators said that his murder could be related to politics or to his shame campaign to fight crime.

Halili was known for parading arrested suspects while being handcuffed and wearing a large tag to emphasize that they were involved in illegal drugs. 

But despite such efforts by Halili, he was still included in then-President Rodrigo Duterte’s list of personalities who were allegedly involved in illegal drugs.

Attention was brought back to Halili’s murder six years later after Garma told the House QuadComm that Albotra bragged about being part of the team who allegedly killed the mayor. 

Garma told the committee the name of a certain police lieutenant colonel in Region 7. 

“Pinagmalaki niya sa akin noon. ‘Oh talaga? How did you do it?’ Mga kilala niya mga kasama niya,” she said. 

(He was bragging about that before. ‘Oh really? How did you do it?’ He knows the people in the team.) 

But Albotra said that he didn't know what Garma was saying. 

“Tingin ko eh talagang ano po si Ma’am, confused na po siya sa mga nangyayari sa buhay niya po ngayon at ako po’y naawa po sa kanya,” he added. “Hindi po totoo ‘yung sinasabi ni Ma’am, ‘yun lang po.” 

(I think she was just confused about whatever is happening to her life now and I feel sorry for her. But there’s no truth to what she was saying.) 

The committee invited Albotra to the next hearing of the QuadComm. —Vince Ferreras/NB, GMA Integrated News