Retired judge to sue Parian operatives over son’s death

A RETIRED judge is seeking the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) as they plan to file charges against operatives of the Parian Police Station in Cebu City following the death of his son in an alleged shoot-out last Friday.

Gerardo Gestopa Jr., former judge of the Municipal Trial Court of Cities in the City of Naga, south Cebu, said his son Gerwin was set up by the police to make it appear that the latter was selling prohibited drugs.

“No drug bust ever happened. My son was tortured and brutally murdered. He didn’t even have a gun with him at that time,” he told Cebu Daily News.

His 36-year-old son Gerwin was gunned down in what the police said was a shoot-out following a drug bust in Barangay Lorega San Miguel, Cebu City last Friday, July 20.

Chief Insp. Kenneth Paul Albotra, commander of the Parian Police Station, maintained that Gerwin was killed in a legitimate operation.

Gerwin, he said, aimed his gun at and tried to shoot the police operatives twice but the suspect’s firearm malfunctioned.

“He placed the lives of our operatives in danger,” said Albotra in an interview.

Gestopa said results of the autopsy conducted on Gerwin will be released on Friday.

Gerwin’s death certificate showed that the cause of death was a gunshot wound that hit his back and pierced his lungs and heart.

Gestopa said he believes Gerwin was tortured before he was killed as the latter also lost tooth and had bruises on his knees and eye.

Gerwin, the third of Gestopa’s four children, was adopted and had been under the care of the judge’s sister-in-law Sarah Vazques Wilhoit who is based in Florida, USA.