Unsolved murders in Iloilo

Manila, Philippines - Close on the wheels of the mysterious murder of a ranking health department official last week inside his hotel room at Eon Centennial Hotel, the Iloilo police is facing another questionable death of Julie Fe Balbanida, a corporate secretary.

Balbanida is the secretary of Una-Royal Builders Supply. Her two employers also underwent paraffin tests but tested negative for power burns. So with Balbanida, who is a lefty.

Dr. Noel Martinez, PNP medical legal officer, said it was impossible for Balbanida to have shot herself.

In short, since she was left handed, the puzzle is that the bullet that killed her entered her right temple and exited on the left an upward trajectory.

Balbanida’s mother stressed that her daughter did not know how to use a gun. Neither she added, did she a gun.

The pistol – a Colt Mark was recovered in her hand inside the toilet where the young girl reportedly committed suicide. No shell shell or slug was found further adding another puzzle to the incident.

But one hour before Julie Fe was founded, her superior Raymund Coo had complained that Julie Fe had tampered with several company checks worth P60,000.

Balbadina’s five officemates also tested negative for powder burns. So with the Uni-Royal owners Teofilo and Raymund Coo, father and son.

She was found last Feb. 4 inside the firm’s toilet with a .45-caliber pistol on one of her hands and a bullet wound on the right side of her head.

Police are still trying to wade through a lot of puzzles in Fe’s killing.

This incident came shortly after the killing last week of Epi Ramos, inside Room 404 of the Eon Centennial Plaza Hotel in Jalandoni street of Iloilo City.

Hotel personnel and a guest of an adjacent room broke into the room when they noticed water seeing out from Ramos’ room.

When they finally barged into the room, the hotel and police discovered Ramos’ room in disarray and his remains inside the bathtub of the comfort room, which had already overflowed.

Ramos reportedly had 21 stab wounds when found last Tuesday.

Police also found that the seminar fee of the participants of a health seminar which Ramos reportedly as guest speaker had disappeared, presumably taken by the two men who had been in his room until 2:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Police believed that the two companions of Ramos inside his room were members of the Salisi Gang, according to Superintendent Conrado Garganillo, chief of police precinct 1.

Police are hunting the suspects whose identities reportedly have been identified.

What added to the mystery was that Sunday, Ramos had three persons who respond inside his hotel room. Incidentally, Ramos is a native of Cabatuan, Iloilo province.

The problem is that, despite their knowledge of who had killed Ramos, the police still have to identify them. So far, no names have been revealed by the police as who were the ones who killed Ramos and robbed him not only of cash but also his laptop and cellphone.

It may be recalled that lately, several Ilonggo members of a gun-for-hire syndicate had surrendered to the police after admitting a series of robbery holdups and liquidations. It is reportedly a lucrative racket.

It seems now that Iloilo City has become the playground of crime gangs who are involved with a series of robberies and assassinations purportedly a “lucrative” source of income for the gunmen.

Time for a crackdown by the police. On the killings and robberies in Iloilo City and the province will just continue on its merry way.