Death of NBI counterterrorism head accidental – Guevarra

The death of a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) counter-terrorism division chief this week was accidental, NBI finds, according to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Friday.

NBI OIC Director Eric Distor told Guevarra that the death of Head Agent Raoul Manguerra was due to “accidental fire.” However, Distor said did not say who fired the gun.

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“Foul play, however, appears to be out of the question,” Guevarra said in a message to reporters.

NBI head of the counter-terrorism division Raoul Manguerra was found dead due to a gunshot wound inside his office, the agency’s spokesperson said Tuesday.

According to NBI spokesperson Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin, NBI Counter-Terrorism Division head Raoul Manguerra passed away past Tuesday midnight.

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“The NBI is in a deep state of mourning,” Lavin said. “We condole  with the family, relatives, and friends of Chief Manguerra.”

Also read: NBI now ‘hunting’ killers of Palawan, Cebu lawyers – Guevarra

Death of NBI counterterrorism head accidental – Guevarra

Based on a police report, Manguerra’s live-in partner Maria Rosario Bernardo was informed by the NBI’s counter-terrorism division that the NBI official was rushed to Manila Doctors Hospital due to a gunshot wound in the abdomen but was pronounced dead on arrival.

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The report also stated that his driver and an NBI employee brought Manguerra to the hospital after hearing a gunshot from his office.

Bernardo added that Manguerra was suffering from stage 3 colon cancer, the report said.

“He has been very instrumental in the anti-terrorism campaign not only of the NBI but also of this government,” said Lanvin.

Guevarra lamented the untimely death of Manguerra when the government is going “full blast” in the anti-terrorism law implementation.

“It’s just too bad that this happened, this passing away of Atty. Manguerra, but we’ll have to deal with that and we express our deepest sympathies to the family of Atty. Manguerra and we hope that the NBI will be able to proceed with its task of dealing with anti-terrorism in honor of the late Atty. Manguerra,” he said in an interview at the NBI.

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