AUTHORITIES are set to ask the Department of Justice (DOJ) to place the lone witness on the killing of former University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP) president Ricardo Rotoras under the government's Witness Protection Program (WPP).
Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo) spokesperson Superintendent Mardy Hortillosa II said investigators are still complying the requirement before they file the application that would place the male witness of the December 2, 2017 Rotoras murder case under the WPP.
For the meantime, Hortillosa said, the police is taking care of the security and protection of the witness and they will turn-over the latter to the DOJ once the application is approved.
"Dili pud lalim ang status niya karon kay nasayod kami sa danger sa iyang pag-decide nga mahimong witness (We knew the danger when he decided to be a witness),"Hortillosa said.
Hortillosa said reports that the witness has been noticing suspicious persons doing surveillance could be possible which could have prompted investigators to tighten the security for the witness.
He said the identity of the witness has already been known after a murder case was filed against the alleged gunman Johnreal Gamanay.
The witness identified Gamanay at the Laguindingan airport when the latter was brought by the police from Makati City last January to face another charges in Ozamis City.
"May posibilidad nga dunay gamanman sa iya kay pag-file sa kaso kang Gamanay mo-appear man gyud iyang pangalan as witness sa affidavit (There is a possibility that someone is looking after him because when he filed a case against Gamanay, his name will appear as witness in the affidavit),"Hortillosa said.
Hortillosa said the sole witness had seen the face of the gunmen when they passed by him after killing the university president.
"Ang nahibaw-an nako nga naa ang gunman naay napatay somewhere sa uptown sa Cagayan de Oro ug nagduda mi nga wala sila kabalo sa area busa mao tong gisundo sila sa sakyanan (I know that there were gunmen because somebody was killed somewhere in Cagayan de Oro uptown and we doubted they did not know the area so they were fetched by a vehicle)," he added.