Two weeks after the shooting of a barangay captain in Mandaue City, the gunman remains on the run.
Mandaue Police Station 1 has given the nickname “June” as the main suspect in the shooting of Mantuyong barangay captain Antonino Maquilan.
The village chief died of a cardiac arrest after he was shot early morning on May 3.
“As of now, we do not have the specific identity yet. But we will immediately file a case once we identify the gunman,” Station 1 chief Senior Insp. Janelito Marquez said.
A computerized facial composite sketch was released last week. Based on the sketch, the suspect is believed to be around 40 to 45 years old, has a fair complexion and medium body build.
Marquez said that after the facial sketch was made public, his office received multiple tips on the whereabouts and identity of “June.”
However, the reports did not yield positive results.
“Didto nami og Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City ug diri sa Mandaue, but when we questioned the person, negative man (We went to Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City and here in Mandaue, but the person we questioned was not the shooter),” Marquez said.
Mantuyong’s new barangay captain Juanito Urot, for his part, said that the barangay is eager to cooperate in police investigations.
Urot added that the security in Mantuyong has remained tight.
A total of 20 tanods do nightly roving.
“Pagkakaron, mokuyog ko sa mga tanod inig roving aron personal ko nga makapamadlong sa mga dili motuman sa 10 p.m. curfew (For now, I do the roving myself so I can personally inform the people to follow the 10 p.m. curfew),” said Urot, who took oath on May 16.
He also assured Mantuyong residents that the barangay remains safe and secure despite the incident.
However, some of the families living near the eatery where Maquilan was shot feel fearful.
“Syempre nahadlok gyud mi. Kapitan na gud na namo ang gipusil (Of course the incident scared us, especially that it was our village chief who was shot),” Jouyer Marson said.
He said that they now close their home at 7 p.m., earlier than their usual 10 p.m. sleeping time.
Marson added that the arrest of the shooter will not only bring justice to the death of Maquilan, but will also give them sense of security.