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Saturday, August 11, 2007
ABC chief shot dead in Danao
By Mia E. Abellana
CEBU CITY -- A barangay captain seeking a seat in the barangay’s council in the October elections was shot dead after attending a court hearing in Danao City Friday morning.
Cresencio Formentera Estrera, 55, was headed towards the Danao City wharf where his brothers Pepito and Eusebio had gone to check if there was an available pump boat to take them back to San Francisco, Camotes Island.
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As his brothers approached him, a man whose face was covered with a T-shirt crept up from behind him and shot him once in the head.
The attack took place at 11:45 a.m.
Though the scene is just a stone’s throw away from the district hospital, the victim was not rushed there because he was already dead, Pepito said.
Cresencio was the barangay captain of Sta. Cruz in San Francisco town. He was also the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC) president of the town, which earned him a seat in the town council.
Cresencio, Pepito, and Eusebio had just attended a hearing at the Danao City Regional Trial Court where they are facing a frustrated murder charge. The plaintiff, Roland Montalban, accused them of beating him up and shooting him in 2004.
Superintendent Larson Dechino, Danao City Police chief, told a Sun.Star Cebu news crew that aside from the frustrated murder case, they were also looking into two other angles as motives for the killing.
Sometime in July 2004, the death of a suspected drug pusher Remigio “Remy” Arias was blamed on Cresencio.
A team from the Provincial Intelligence and Investigation Branch had conducted a raid against Arias in Barangay Sta. Cruz. However, Arias allegedly escaped and fired at one of the operatives, prompting them to fire back.
Politics?
Arias died after suffering a gunshot wound in the abdomen.
The six police operatives are facing a murder charge for his death.
Investigators are also looking into Cresencio’s plans to run for barangay councilor as one of the motives.
Pepito claimed that Cresencio would have wanted to take a break from the affairs of the barangay but Mayor Al Arquillano reportedly asked him to run.
“Lig-on man gud na siya nga lider. Musuporta ra man unta to siya unya gihangyo man (He was an effective leader. He would have wanted to stay in the sidelines but he was asked to run),” Pepito said.
He said meetings in the sitios have already begun, which is why he believes politics may have something to do with his brother’s killing.
However, he is not dismissing the other angles being looked into by police.
Stealth
Cresencio had been barangay captain of Sta. Cruz since 1992. He left behind a wife and an adopted son.
After the hearing, Pepito and Eusebio went to the wharf to inquire about the next pump boat while Cresencio stayed behind to talk to their lawyer.
They had arrived Thursday and stayed with relatives to make sure they would not be late for the hearing.
Cresencio did not plan to go home Friday as he still had business to attend to in Compostela town.
Since there was no pump boat available, Pepito and Eusebio decided to go back to tell Cresencio.
“Padung mi magtagbo. Naa pa gani siya sa atbang nga karsada. Naggunit pa siya sa iyang cellphone (We were on our way to meet him. He was right across the road. He was even holding his cellphone),” Eusebio said.
The next thing he knew, he heard a gunshot and then Cresencio was down on the ground in front of the Danao City plaza.
Pepito, who is younger than Eusebio, ran to his brother and tried to chase the gunman.
Professional
However, the man pointed his .45 pistol at him, making him stop.
The man ran to a waiting red motorcycle across the plaza and they sped off toward Carmen town.
Dechino said that right after they heard the gunshot, they proceeded to the area and then set up a roadblock. The police station is just 30 meters from the plaza.
However, the perpetrators must have taken one of the several side roads from the main highway leading to Carmen, which is why they lost them.
Recovered at the scene was a single shell fired from a .45 pistol.
Dechino said that it was apparent by the way the crime was carried out that the gunman was a hired killer. The policeman said the shooting was done professionally. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (August 11, 2007 issue)
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