Mandaue City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing inspects crime scene (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
Police investigators still have no clue as to the identity of the perpetrators who ambushed and killed Mandaue City’s first drug surrenderer and considered by the police as a high-value target drug personality.
Pablito Loberanes and his relative, Daisy Pacho, were killed while two others were wounded when four men aboard two motorcycles peppered the Suzuki van they were riding, after posting bail in court last Tuesday.
Senior Insp. Janelito Marquez, station commander of Centro Police Station, said they viewed the video capture of the Mandaue Command Center positioned at the intersection of M.C. Briones and A. Del Rosario Streets but could not get a clear image enough to identify the suspects and the motorcycle used.
“Nangita mi og mga CCTV sa mga private establishment nga duol gyud sa crime scene pero wala mi nakit-an (We were looking for CCTV footage of the crime scene from nearby establishments but we found none),” said Marquez.
He, however, strongly believed that the motive was more drug related after previous attempts to kill the victim by unidentified persons prior to his murder.
Meanwhile, according to Marquez, Jerson Hermosa, one of the wounded, has been discharged from Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. The other victim, Darlene Carsona Tanjay, earlier identified only as Gang-Gang, is still confined at the hospital. She was the one who facilitated Loberanes’ surety bond for his bail.
Marquez said they have taken the statements of the victims in preparation for the possible filing of a case against the perpetrators and in the hope that the information the victims gave would lead to the identity of the suspects.
Mandaue City Police Office Director Senior Supt. Roberto Alanas in an interview said they are also considering Loberanes’ involvement in a vehicular accident last January 2 this year.
“We are also assigning police security to the victims in the hospital because they stand as witnesses against the possible identified killers,” said Alanas.
Alanas confirmed that although Pablito Loberanes surrendered and convinced others to surrender to police, he went back to the illegal drug trade and sometimes used minors to prevent detection by authorities and escape responsibility./CORRESPONDENT NORMAN V. MENDOZA