Bacolod chief Ferdinand Lavin of the National Bureau of Investigation yesterday said a significant result of their investigation into the murder of Judge Henry Arles is that they were able to uncover a gun-for-hire group hiding under the skirt of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade.

This group that engages in criminal activities for a fee is not operating in furtherance of the RPA-ABB’s political ideology and beliefs, in fact it does not have the blessings of its top leadership, he said.

The NBI has tagged five members of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade, three of whom are in its custody, Ilog Mayor John Paul Alvarez and a town employee for the murder of Arles in Ilog town on April 24.

“We do not know how many more hired killers from this group are still operating, it is a scary situation that people can just be paid to kill someone,” Lavin said.

Negros Occidental is not known to have a homegrown crime group, that is why it is significant that their investigation into the Arles murder uncovered this gun-for-hire group, he said.

This group has been operating unchecked for some time, he added.*CPG

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