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Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Nalzaro: Ocampo and Osmeña
By Bobby Nalzaro
In a murder case involving a hired killer, the triggerman is the one that usually gets prosecuted and convicted while the mastermind remains scot-free. Also, the motive behind the killing would remain unknown.
It is but seldom that hired killers would expose the mastermind. Who, for example, ordered the massacre of the members of the Bacolod family and the cold-blooded murder of lawyer Arbet Sta. Ana Yongco?
Responding policemen killed the killer of the Bacolods. The suspected killers of Yongco are now facing charges in court. But who masterminded these gruesome murders? Your guess is good as mine.
As for the motive, that can be established but still the suspected mastermind will never be charged in court.
I am afraid the same thing will happen to the murder of Cebu City Bantay Dagat Commission project director and city market administrator Elpidio “Jojo” de la Victoria. This, despite the offer by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña of a P1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of the brains of the murder.
The mayor has earlier set aside P200,000 as reward for information leading to the identification and subsequent arrest of the gunman. Well, that P200,000 could now be given to those who identified SPO1 Marcial Ocampo as the alleged triggerman.
But if indeed Ocampo was the killer as alleged by witnesses, what was his motive in shooting de la Victoria dead? Did he bear a personal grudge against the victim?
Even if he had a grudge, I doubt if Ocampo would admit it now because that admission would firm up the claim of police investigators that he was indeed the culprit.
But if Ocampo had no personal motive to kill de la Victoria, we can then conclude that he was acting on the orders of somebody who had an axe to grind against the victim. Meaning, the policeman could be a hired killer. If this is true, then this is a big slap on the face of the Philippine National Police.
Though positive identification by credible witnesses can give weight to the effort to prosecute the case, investigators should not mainly rely on this and instead gather more evidence to firm up and strengthen their case in court.
I don't know the personal life of de la Victoria but investigators should not only focus on his staunch campaign to preserve and protect Cebu’s marine resources. There must be another motive.
Indeed, de la Victoria’s advocacy may have gained the ire of the affected sectors, especially those who made illegal fishing their means of livelihood and source of income. But he also implemented sensitive policies in his capacity as Cebu City market administrator.
De la Victoria had tangled with both legal and illegal stallholders at the city's public markets. Remember that he implemented Mayor Osmeña's orders and had driven a number of stallholders away, including the legitimate ones who had been in the markets for so long. Since he was in the frontline, he became the subject of these people’s hatred.
In this sense, once can blame Mayor Osmeña, too, for de la Victoria’s death.
(bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 19, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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