ONE of the gunmen who admitted to killing Ako Bicol Party-list Representative Rodel Batocabe also pointed to Daraga Mayor Carlwyn Baldo as the mastermind, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Oscar Albayalde said on Friday, January 4.
Henry Yuson, one of the alleged gunmen who carried out the assassination of Batocabe on December 22, apologized to the Batocabe family in a press conference Friday.
He surrendered to authorities Thursday evening, January 3, on the same day that the PNP filed charges of double murder and multiple frustrated murder against him, Mayor Baldo and five other suspects.
“Sorry sa pamilya gusto kong mag-sorry po sa pamilya ng Batocabe po napag-utusan lang, nabayaran lang po ako na ipapatay si Congressman Batocabe. Silang tatlo, (si mayor), si Tuping at Muella sila nag-uusap palagi na ipapatay si Congressman Rodel Batocabe. Napag-utusan lang po na patayin, pero wala po akong nakuhang kahit piso, si Tuping kinuha niya ang bayad,” he said.
(Sorry to the Batocabe family. I was merely following orders. The mayor, Tuping and Muella hatched the plan to have Congressman Rodel Batocabe killed. I did not get a cent. Tuping received the payment.)
“Ang gusto ni mayor siya ang permanenteng maupong mayor sa Daraga. May pangako siya sa amin na tuloy-tuloy ang kabuhayan namin sa kanya, tuloy tuloy ang sweldo naming sa kanila (hangga’t siya ang mayor),” he added.
(Mayor wants to hold on to his post in Daraga. He promised us that we will continue to receive salaries while he is mayor.)
Tuping is Christopher Naval, who allegedly gathered the six-man hit team. Yuson and Rolando Arimado were the gunmen, Emmanuel Rosello and Jaywin Babor served as drivers of the getaway motorcycles and Danilo Muella served as the lookout.
Albayalde said Yuson revealed that he had dismantled and disposed of the firearm he used in killing Batocabe.
“Ang sabi niya he dismantled the firearm at tinapon niya sa dagat. We have divers now in that area searching for that firearms,” he said.
Among the seven suspects, four have already surrendered to the police namely, Naval, Yuson, Rosello and Babor who turned himself in to authorities on Friday morning.
Albayalde had tagged Baldo as the mastermind behind Batocabe’s killing based on the statements of the suspects who surrendered.
“Remember, sumuko sila na hindi naman sila magkakasama and their statements were ever since consistent at nagkakatugma tugma,” he said.
(Remember, they surrendered separately. They were not together. But each of their statements were consistent with the others.)
Albayalde said according to the suspects, they surfaced after Baldo refused to pay them for the job.
The mayor allegedly promised to pay them P5 million but he shelled out only P250,000 which they used for the acquisition of the equipment they used such as motorcycle and firearms.
Baldo has denied the allegations and said he was a “convenient scapegoat.” (SunStar Philippines)