A policeman, who went absent without official leave (AWOL), was shot dead in Corella town, Bohol province on Sunday night.
PO3 Lorepol Perocho, investigator of Corella Police Station, identified the victim as SP01 Rolex Tamarra, 35, of Bil-isan, Panglao town.
Perocho said Tamarra went to the cockpit arena in Purok 7, Barangay Sambog on Sunday afternoon for a derby. When he was about to leave the area around 7:40 p.m., unidentified men approached him and shot him several times. The assailants fled toward Balilihan town.
Tamarra sustained gunshot wounds in his chest and head that resulted to his death.
Personnel of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO) recovered 12 empty shells of .45 pistol, .38 revolver, a mobile phone, sunglasses, wallet with police ID, driver’s license, bank cards and cheque for Jinilda Malaay dated August 15, 2009 amounting to P2,000,300.
Perocho said police are still establishing the identity of the gunmen and the motives of killing.
Tamarra was formerly assigned to Provincial Public Safety Company or Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) from 2009 to 2012 before he was transferred to the Mandaue Police Station. He was known in Bohol for running after drug personalities.
Senior Supt. Roberto Alanas, chief of Mandaue City Police Station, said Tamarra had gone AWOL since May 1, 2016.
“Wala na siya sa listahan (He was not in the drug watch list),” he said.
But Police Regional Office Director Noli Taliño said they received reports that Tamarra was involved in illegal drug trade.
“Based on the information we got, he (Tamarra) was an identified drug protector and pusher. When he was assigned in Bohol, he was reportedly harboring drug pushers who were arrested there,” he told reporters.
When Tamarra was transferred from Bohol to Mandaue City, the policeman allegedly continued his involvement with illegal drugs, Taliño said.
Last May, the PRO-7 director said Tamarra was dropped from the rolls of the Philippine National Police for not reporting to work without filing a leave of absence.
“He had a series of absences. He stopped reporting to work maybe because he was busy attending to his illegal drugs business,” Taliño said.
He believed Tamarra was killed by drug personalities whom he used to coddle.
“Based on the information we got, those he coddled were mad because he could no longer protect them. So he was killed,” Taliño said.
Taliño described Tamarra as a well-decorated policeman who used to be a member of the SWAT in Bohol.
“He excelled in the service. But he allowed himself to be tempted by illegal drugs,” he said.