2 suspects in radioman’s slay yield

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Two principal suspects in the June 17 killing of Sarangani broadcaster Ely Binoya have given themselves up to police authorities.

Chief Superintendent Antonio Billones, Central Mindanao police director, said the suspects — barangay chairman Ephraim Englis of Datal Tampal in Malungon, Sarangani, and Alfonso Toquero — surrendered to Superintendent Casimero Medes, Sarangani police director, in Davao City last Monday.

Billones said the two decided to surrender after policemen had pinpointed their whereabouts in Davao City.

"Our intelligence operatives had been casing (them) for the past two months," he said.

Medes said Sarangani Gov. Miguel Dominguez asked the relatives of Englis to help facilitate the peaceful surrender of the barangay chairman.

Earlier, reports alleged that Dominguez had been coddling Englis, a dismissed policeman who is said to be his political protégé.

Text messages claimed that Englis had sought refuge in the compound of the Sarangani Aqua-Culture Resources Inc., which the governor’s family owns in Barangay Maribulan in Alabel town. Dominguez denied this.

Binoya, 48, station manager of Radyo Natin in Malungon town, was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding men in Barangay Upper Labay here last June 17. He was also aboard a motorcycle.

Investigation showed that Englis allegedly masterminded Binoya’s killing and that Toquero served as the driver of the Suzuki motorcycle used by the gunman.

Superintendent Willie Dangane, General Santos City police chief, said they have strong circumstantial evidence linking Englis and Toquero to the killing.

"At least eight witnesses have surfaced and positively identified (them)," said Dangane, who has initiated the filing of murder charges against the two.

Englis refused to give any statement, saying his lawyer would answer the charges in court.

"Mahirap magtago (It’s hard to be in hiding)," he said of his decision to surrender.

Englis was accompanied by his counsel, lawyer Norman Solis, who is assigned with the Public Attorney’s Office in Tagum City.

The court has granted Solis’ motion seeking the transfer of the two suspects from General Santos City jail to the Sarangani provincial jail.

Solis argued that Dangane had issued a shoot-to-kill order against his client and Toquero while they were still at large.

Binoya’s wife, Mary Grace, is apprehensive that Englis and Toquero will be given special treatment in the Sarangani provincial jail.

She claimed that Englis and Sarangani provincial jail warden Juanito Purisima are "cumpadres."