3 charged in murder try

CEBU, Philippines - The three men accused of trying to kill a marketing manager of Taiheiyo Cement were charged with attempted murder before the Regional Trial Court yesterday.

Jerome Noel, 41; Orlando Sagnoy, 30; and Roberto Tercero, 27, were charged with attempted murder for the ambush of Nestor Zamora.

In addition, Noel and Sagnoy are facing charges for possession of illegal drugs and illegal possession of firearms.

The bail recommended for the three was P80,000 for illegal possession of firearms, P120,000 for attempted murder and P200,000 for possession of illegal drugs.

Only Noel offered bail but his release order was not signed by judge Meinrado Paredes because he had a meeting so Noel was brought to the Cebu City Jail together with the other two suspects.

Policemen recovered from the possession of Noel a pistol, six live rounds and seven sticks of hand-rolled white paper containing crushed marijuana leaves.

In his affidavit, Zamora said he drove to an uptown mall around noon of last Thursday to have lunch.

He said a motorcycle with two men on board tailed him, then overtook him in barangay Kamputhaw and stopped few meters ahead. Then the passenger pulled out a gun and shot at him but he was saved by the bulletproofing of his vehicle.

The shooter, later identified as Sagnoy, and the driver, Tercero, would later be arrested separately by responding policemen.

Sagnoy has pointed to Noel as the mastermind of the crime.

Meanwhile, Cebu City Police Office Director Patrocinio Comendador said they already have the motive behind the incident but are keeping it under wraps for the meantime.

Right now, Comendador said, what is important is that they have already filed cases against the three suspects behind the attack, including the alleged mastermind.

“We already have what the motive really is but suffice to say at this point in time ang tulo ka suspects, both the principal of induction (Noel) and the two (Sagnoy and Tercero) by direct participation, are now in custody and can be charged in court,” he said.

Comendador, however, told reporters yesterday that there could be another mastermind behind the incident aside from Noel.

“I’m saying there could be other suspect aside from Noel…because of the obvious circumstances, di ba, if we correlate it with the motive. Ang amo unta ipa-kuan, what is the business of the other party, if diin nag-gikan ang biktima. From that, siguro, makakuha na ta og connection,” the CCPO director said.