Thursday, May 24, 2007 Suspect in mayor bet’s murder yields
THE alleged gunman in the fatal shooting of Sta. Fe mayoral aspirant Rogelio Ilustrisimo Sr. surrendered yesterday to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Manila to deny any participation in the murder.
A DZMM report said that former policeman Arnulfo Pigon Jr., 29, sought the help of ABS-CBN reporter Henry Omaga Diaz for protection after the Cebu Provincial Capitol and the Cebu City Hall offered a P1.3-million reward for his capture. Pigon is now under the custody of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
In the report, Pigon claimed he was in Cupang, Antipolo City when Ilustrisimo was shot dead past 10 a.m. last May 2. A lone gunman attacked about 10 meters away from the doorstep of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) provincial office inside the Capitol compound in Cebu City.
Ilustrisimo, a former Sta. Fe mayor who was seeking to take back his post, had just attended a hearing on the petition for disqualification filed against him by his rival candidate, Domingo Zaspa, when he was killed.
Zaspa was implicated in the murder complaint as a “principal suspect by direct participation” but denied having a hand in the assault. He vowed to file charges against the Ilustrisimos and the police for dragging his name into the case.
Pigon blamed the military for the murder, but declined to name names for fear of endangering himself and his family. He used to be a member of the Special Weapons and Tactics unit of the Mandaue City Police Office and was described as one of the police force’s best shooters.
Acting Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) Director Patrocinio Comendador, in a mobile phone interview with Sun.Star Cebu, confirmed Pigon’s surrender to the NBI-Manila office.
He said the NBI-Manila called up yesterday to inform him about the developments. The DOJ is expected to present Pigon today to the media.
Comendador said he will just wait for the DOJ to decide whether Pigon will be brought to Cebu City or stay in Manila with the NBI.
Technically, Comenda-dor said, the CCPO has no legal hold on Pigon because a warrant of arrest is yet to be issued against him. The complaint is still under preliminary investigation at the Cebu City Prosecutors Office.
On Pigon’s denial of his alleged participation in the killing, Comendador said that Task Force Ilustrisimo, which the city director headed, filed the complaint against the former policeman based on the evidence they have gathered.
While it is Pigon’s right to deny the allegation, Comendador said, the task force has a strong case against the suspected triggerman. JST/With reports from Abs-Cbnnews.com
