Abducted ex-cop’s daughter says case not given due attention

By: Dolly Yasa

BACOLOD City – The daughter of retired police major Lito Pirote who was abducted two months ago said on June 12, 2019 that her father’s case is not given due attention by authorities.

Pirote, who was abducted in a hotel here last April 19, 2019, remains missing until now.

Kate Pirote, who appeared at the Negros Press Club office Wednesday, said she would like to publicly appeal to police authorities to let them know the outcome of their investigation regarding her father’s abduction.

She said they have already written senators and even President Rodrigo Duterte to help locate her father.

“We have not received any reply at all,” Kate lamented.

She said she has continuously asked the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO) for updates  about her father but she was advised to coordinate with the police officer in charge of the case with a rank of SPO2.

While she is not trying to degrade the police officer concerned, “but it would mean that the said police officer still has to coordinate with his senior police officers and cannot merely act on his own as far as the case is concerned.”

She added that they also sought the assistance of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) but were informed they have other priority cases to attend to.

When asked if their father has communicated with them, Kate said “not even a text or call.”

She added that they have been going around distributing flyers in case some people may have seen their father but to no avail.

“We hope that they (police and NBI) can also give due attention to the case of my father,” Kate said

Pirote came from a hotel here after visiting a friend when about eight to 10 unidentified armed men arrived and forcibly took him to a white van.

The hotel’s security guards were reportedly disarmed and some guests were told to drop to the ground.

Pirote reportedly fought back but he was pummeled by an unknown firearm.

Witnesses said that the assailants who were wearing bulletproof vests dragged him to the vehicle and left the hotel’s guests and employees unharmed.

The firearms of the two security guards were also left outside the hotel.

Meanwhile, when asked for the possible motive of the abduction, Bulalacao said he cannot confirm if indeed Pirote was included in the drug list of President Rodrigo Duterte.

In October 2018, Pirote was among the five police officials who were relieved from their posts after they being named by Duterte in the drug matrix for allegedly engaging in the recycling of illegal drugs.

When reached for comment, NBI-Bacolod agent-in-charge Renoir Baldivino told the Daily Guardian here that “We handle so many cases here needing our attention. The case of Major Pirote is given due attention, we need an investigative lead.”