FOUR individuals have been named by the police as persons of interest in the killing of 51-year-old livestock trader Leonardo Pescadero Macario in Barangay Kanyuco, Dumanjug town, southwest Cebu, at dawn on Thursday, May 30, 2024,
According to Police Major Kelvin Mamaradlo, the chief of the Dumanjug Police Station, four people have been regarded as persons of interest.
However, he withheld specifics regarding their personal histories while the investigation was still ongoing.
Macario was found dead with multiple hack wounds on his head at the side of the road in Barangay Kanyuco.
Reports said the victim left his house around 1 a.m. on Thursday onboard his motorcycle on his way to a livestock market in Barangay Mantalongon, Barili, Cebu.
According to his family, he was carrying P100,000 in cash, not P500,000 as earlier reported.
Some witnesses saw the suspects going back and forth in the area onboard two motorcycles after the crime.
The police are still determining whether the suspects on motorcycles were photographed by the CCTV camera so that witnesses might identify them.
"Yes sir usa na sa among gi look up sir kanang giingon ni mayor nga nagbahis-bahis pa sa agianan paingun sa Mantalongon, kay we have CCTV footage na among gi check pa sir na one of them nga ni-agi didto is possible the suspect," Mamaradlo said.
(Yes, sir, that is one of things we are investigating – the mayor’s comment of them traveling back and forth to Mantalongon – because we have viewed CCTV footage and it's probable that one of them is the suspect).
The injuries the victim suffered on his head, neck, and back demonstrated that the assailants intended to kill him, according to Mamaradlo, who stated that their goal was not to rob him but rather to murder him.
When the suspects realized the victim was carrying cash, they took the money that was in the motorcycle's u-box.
Meanwhile, Dumanjug Mayor Gungun Gica announced that he will give a P200,000 reward to the person who can identify the culprit for the death of his constituent.
Mamaradlo believes that this will encourage someone to testify, which will help the case to be resolved quickly.
"Dako kaayo na og tabang sa amoa kay unang una ang crime scene is far flung barangay at the same time wala kaayo’y mga silingan unya walay CCTV, unya wala mi makuha nga witness, it might be naay witness pero nahadlok lang," Mamaradlo said.
(This (reward) is a big help to us. First of all, the crime scene is located in a remote barrio with few residents and no CCTV; second, we were unable to gather any witnesses because they may have been present but were afraid).
In order to keep the witnesses' lives safe, the PNP promised to safeguard them.
As promised by Mayor Gica, the police guaranteed that they would work with the community to solve this crime as quickly as possible. (AYB, TPT)