No time frame to solve killings in Cebu – PRO-7

CEBU, Philippines —  Police Regional Office 7 director, Police Brigadier General Ronnie Montejo, believes the series of shooting incidents in the city and the Province of Cebu were not related to each other.

Montejo said it is “impossible” that the at least six shooting incidents last Friday and Saturday were connected.

“Ang mga motives kay lahi-lahi man gud ang atong nakita nga anggulo, pero sa pagkakaron, gi-consider sa nato tanan hangtud mabaw-an nato kung unsa gyuy motive sa mga incidents,” said Montejo in call conference yesterday.

Aside from the follow-up operations, Montejo said they are currently communicating with other agencies for an in-depth investigation since the motives that were initially established by the police were different from one another.

Montejo has reiterated the crime prevention aspects to the provincial and city directors and directed them further to strengthen their coordination with the community.

This includes the implementation of the discipline zone to monitor the suspicious individuals with the participation of the community that could immediately report them.

According to Montejo, he will not be giving a timeframe to investigators in solving these cases adding that the accuracy of the suspects and motives behind the incidents will be the top priority.

“Pwede man ta mohatag (timeframe) pero dili ko ingon-ana na mohatag og time frame kay basin hangtud nalang hinuon nga maghimo og kanang taphaw nga (results) aron ma-comply ang timeframe, ang akong gusto nga kanang pulido nga trabaho og kanang tinuod gyud nga suspect ang gawas,” said Montejo.

Montejo further echoes the call of the station chiefs to possible witnesses to report spotted suspicious individuals that might be behind the murders.

Over this, Montejo said they are currently conducting intensified checkpoints in the streets as efforts to determine the unidentified suspects.

“Padayon ang atonng Enhanced Managing Police Operations nga traditional og mga innovative depende sa peculiarity sa kanya-kanyang mga stations og lugar,” said Montejo.

On the death of Police Master Sergeant Raymund Zozobrado who was shot dead Saturday in Barili town, Montejo said they are now back-tracking the previous activities of the victim to find any possible leads to identify the assailant.

“Duna natay gitan-aw nga mga possible nga anggulo or motive, una iyang trabaho nga pagka police, ikaduha sa pamilya, nya ato pung gitan-aw ang iyang mga performance ug mga activities kay before na assign siya sa Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) dayon nabalhin siya sa Guihulngan,” said Montejo.

Withholding further details, Montejo said they are now having development on the investigation that reflects his previous activities that could possibly be connected to his death.

Two men and a woman were also shot dead in three separate shooting incidents in Cebu City in a span of 14 hours last Friday.

In Cebu Province, a trisikad driver identified as certain Merdin Timblor, 33, was shot dead Friday afternoon in Tuburan town.

A former priest, Rustico Tan, 80, who was once tagged by the police as an alleged member of the New People’s Army (NPA) was killed by a still unidentified assailant in his home Friday night in Purok Caimito, Barangay Upper Poblacion in an island town of Pilar.

Police Colonel Engelbert Soriano, Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO) director, said the family of Tan has waived to let him undergo an autopsy that is supposed to be part of the investigation.

“The way we look at it, baka hindi interesado na mag-file ng kaso ang pamilya,” said Soriano.

Soriano said they are yet to establish concrete motive behind the murder, however, they are looking into the information they received that he was involved before with the NPA movement. —  GMR (FREEMAN)