CEBU, Philippines — Less than a day after lawyer Salvador Solima was killed at his own home in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, police arrested the alleged primary suspect and took two other persons of interest into custody for questioning.
The alleged prime suspect, Ricarte Del Corro, 32, was arrested during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Labangon at around 10 a.m. yesterday.
Del Corro was arrested with 10 packs of shabu, a .38 caliber pistol, a mobile phone, and cash amounting to P400.
Learning that Del Corro's alias is "Blue Fox" and with the homicide police looking for someone with the alias "blue paks," authorities brought in the witness in Solima's killing to take a look at Del Corro.
The witness identified Del Corro positively as one of those who pretended to be Solima's clients and pulled the trigger on the lawyer and his wife, Verose. The wife is still in intensive care.
Meanwhile, the persons of interest, brothers Alberto and Aldin Baluyos, 29 and 23 years old, respectively, were picked up from different locations - Alberto in Barangay Guadalupe and Aldin in Barangay Carreta.
Incident
The witness said they were having dinner at Solima's house at Singson Compound in Barangay Guadalupe when Del Corro arrived together with an unidentified man. They reportedly wanted Solima's counsel for an acquaintance who is detained at the Cebu City Jail for drug charges.
"Karon, nag-istorya sila nga ang ila daw kliyente nga naa sa BBRC kay na-miss na daw ang 15 days nga filing bitaw so nihangyo sila ni sir kung unsaon pag-apas adto," the witness said.
Solima reportedly told the suspects that his acceptance fee for the case is P150,000 but reportedly lowered it to P120,000 to which the suspects agreed.
"Unya ingon siya nga okay na, niingon nga walay problema ang kwarta, ang P120,000, pero gikan sa PAO daw ang kliyente. Akong gitan-aw siya kay gikan gud sa PAO nya P120,000, dako kaayo ang deperensiya sa PAO… mingduko man na siya… pagkadugayan, nihangad man na siya nya kanang iyang nawong nakita man gyod nako," the witness said.
After Solima and the suspects agreed on the fee, Solima reportedly stood and was about to approach his five-year-old child when Del Corro also reportedly stood, pulled out a gun, and shot the lawyer.
Even after Solima fell to the floor, Del Corro allegedly shot him a second time. The suspect's companion also stood and shot Solima.
"Nilakaw lang si sir ug usa ka lakang, nibarog sad siya niya dayun tion og pusil ni sir… diretso, bang! Karon, niingon si sir, niagulo, pero nahagba na si sir niya pagkahuman, giusban pa gyod niya nga nahapla na si sir, bang! Kato sad iyang kuyog, nibarog unya gipusil pud si sir sa lawas," she added.
After shooting Solima, the two suspects reportedly left the room only to also shoot Verose who was outside.
The witness also said that Alberto may be one of the lookouts as she reportedly recognized his voice. Solima's neighbors who attested to seeing Alberto in the area during the incident.
Denial
Del Corro denied the allegations and said he does not know Solima and his family. He said he was home during the incident.
"Naa ra ko sa amoa, nagduwa ra ko hantak," he said.
He admitted knowing Alberto, though, as they are long time neighbors.
Del Coro said that before he was arrested yesterday morning, he received a text message from Alberto telling him that they have been tagged in Solima's shooting.
Alberto also reportedly urged him to go to the Guadalupe police so they could clear their names, but he did not heed the advice. Later, he was the subject of a buy-bust operation.
He denied that an operation actually took place and that he owned the gun allegedly found in his possession. He admitted, though, that he used illegal drugs.
Senior Insp. Henrix Bancoleta, chief of the Punta Police Station, told The Freeman, however, that Del Corro has been on their watch list of alleged drug pushers.
For his part, Alberto said he could not afford to kill Solima because the lawyer freed him from a robbery and homicide case that put him in jail until 2016. After that, Solima even reportedly offered that he stay at his house temporarily.
"Dili man ko mahulog lookout kay matag semana kay muanha man mi, maningil, kay naa man utang. Si attorney, giisip na nako nga amahan kay siya mao nagpalaya nako… mao na akong abogado sa akong kaso. Dili gyod na nako mahimo," Alberto said.
The debt Alberto mentioned was the payment for the two-story house Velrose reportedly bought from him worth P7.5 million.
Ryan Devaras, chief of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch of the city police, said that even before the cops invited Alberto for questioning, Solima's relatives actually asked him to a conversation last Monday night precisely because he was seen at the area and he and Velrose have had disagreements in the past because of the debt.
Devaras said that even with witness' testimony, more evidence needs to be gathered to corroborate the statement.
Del Corro is facing charges for murder, frustrated murder, possession and sale of illegal drugs, and illegal possession of firearms.
Sentiments
Atty. Glenn Capanas, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines - Cebu City Chapter, commended the police's swift action on the case.
His counterpart in the provincial chapter, Atty. Mundlyn Misal-Martin, said justice cannot be attained by injustice.
"When will people understand that killing/hurting another lawyer is not the real justice they think they deserve? Killing of a lawyer or any other person is unjustifiable and will never be a solution/resolution to misery!" Martin said.
Solima was a state prosecutor before he went into private practice. He is known to be accommodating to his clients.
Governor Hilario Davide III, himself a lawyer, also described Solima as a good person.
"I knew him. In fact, nag-atbang mi og usa ka kaso a long time ago. Maayo man tong tawo si Buddy. I'm saddened sa kaning violent death," Davide said. JMO (FREEMAN)