MANILA, Philippines — Police Lt. Col. Neil Montaño, Calbayog City police chief, was relieved on Sunday along with nine others over the fatal shooting of Calbayog City Mayor Ronaldo Aquino and a separate request to a local court for the names of lawyers representing members of "communist terrorist groups". Police maintain that the mayor's camp fired on them first, forcing them to fire back and eventually shoot them dead. Meanwhile, Calbayog City police also made headlines earlier this weekend after an intelligence officer requested a local court for a list of lawyers representing "Communist Terrorist Group (CTG) personalities in court." Though the officers were transferred, national police leadership has neither acknowledged nor apologized for the officers' alleged role in the killing of the local chief executive, which they referred to as an "unfortunate incident." "We are also continuously conducting the needs assessment for the Calbayog CPS to improve its investigation, intelligence and operational capabilities."

Source: Philippine Star March 14, 2021 06:45 UTC