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Monday, March 08, 2004
Cop, pal nabbed as suspects in slay of mayor, son
By Minerva B. Gerodias
CEBU -- In just three days, the Cebu City Police Office solved the killing of Hindang, Leyte Mayor Roy Jumao-as and his son Jake.
A very reliable source from Camp Sotero Cabahug confirmed Sunday the arrest of PO1 Roque Visnar of the Mandaue City Police Office and his companion.
The source refused to name his companion, a native of Hindang, Leyte.
Visnar and his companion allegedly shot Jumao-as and his son, but the police believe they were taking orders from somebody else.
"He would have not acted on his own. We are now in the process of identifying the mastermind," the source said, adding that Visnar also had an ax to grind against Jumao-as. He refused to elaborate.
Visnar was arrested in his residence in Mohon, Talisay City by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Bureau led by Supt. Pablo Labra II at 3 p.m. Sunday.
The police refused to give details as to how they were able to identify Visnar, but said four of their witnesses identified the two suspects as the gunmen.
As of Sunday night, the police were still out to recover the firearm used in the killing.
Visnar is a native of Inopacan, a town next to Hindang in Leyte.
Often away
A check with Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 revealed that he was formerly assigned with the Cebu Provincial Police Office. The PRO 7 officials received complaints that although Visnar is assigned in Cebu, he still frequently went to Inopacan or Hindang.
The PRO 7 officials decided to reassign him in Basay, Negros Oriental. But in May last year, he was reassigned to Mandaue City after he swapped assignments with one policeman there.
He is currently assigned with Subangdaku police as a beat policeman.
Sun.Star tried to get the side of Mandaue City Police Chief Alex Castro but he did not answer his mobile phone when called Sunday night.
Jumao-as had just arrived from Hindang when he was killed near his apartment at the corner of D. Jakosalem St. and Gen. Maxilom Ave. in Cebu City last Thursday afternoon.
His second son Jake fetched him at the pier. Just as they got down from the taxi, two men shot them dead.
Although police investigators considered other possible motives like business rivalries, the family believes that the attack was politically motivated.
Jumao-as was the incumbent Hindang mayor and was seeking reelection. His opponent is Barangay Dos Captain Elpidio Cabal Jr., husband of former Hindang Mayor Betty Cabal.
Jumao-as defeated Betty Cabal in May 2001. There had been an attempt on Jumao-as' life in 2001 but it failed.
Last December, he received a note threatening that he would be killed in Cebu before the May 10, 2004 elections.
However, he did not take this seriously, saying no killer would warn his would-be victim.
The Jumao-as father and son were brought to Leyte last Friday and are expected to be sent back to Cebu Monday. They will be buried in Cempark, but the schedule is yet to be set.
(March 8, 2004 issue)
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