Police to file charges vs suspect in cabbie slay

The suspect in the killing of a taxi driver in Barangay Tisa early this month could also be responsible for the killing of a call center agent in Barangay Mabolo a few months ago.

Senior Insp. Janielito Marquez, acting Mabolo Police Precinct chief, said he was coordinating with the police investigator of the Punta Princesa Police Station to verify if the killer of the cabbie and the call center agent is one and the same although no concrete basis was provided for by the authorities.

Marquez was referring to Erick Ramos, who they suspect is responsible for the killing of Ken Taxi driver, Victoriano Molina, 57, last Monday (Nov. 5) in Barangay Tisa, Cebu City. The police suspect that he could also be responsible for the robbery-killing of call center agent, Loraine Temple, last Oct. 4 along Pope John Paul II avenue in Mabolo.

Marquez said that they only had persons of interest in the investigation of Temple’s case.

SPO1 Jojie Magdadaro, Punta Police Precinct investigator, in a separate interview on Sunday, said that they would file robbery and homicide charges against Ramos on Monday for the taxi driver’s death.

Magdadaro said that they were also looking for Ramos’ cohort in the crime.

Ramos, however, denied the allegations against him during an interview with Cebu Daily News.

He said that the police had singled him out since he was involved in a robbery case of a clinic along N. Bacalso last June 2018.

He claimed that he was able to post bail in the case since it was downgraded to illegal possession of firearms.

He said he posted a P30,000 bail for his temporary freedom.

“Wala ko adto sir oi. Nagpintal ko sa balay anang tungora sa pagkahitabo (I was not there at the crime scene sir. I was painting my house at that time,” said Ramos as he denied being involved in the crime.

He also claimed that he was in prison for murder in 2015 and was released on November 30 last year after the case was dropped because of lack of witnesses.

He said that after he was released from jail, he sold peanuts on the streets to earn money for his family.

Ramos said that he had a daughter and two sons, who were living with their mother in Barangay Tisa.

Meanwhile, lawyer Armando Alforque, a cousin of the victim, Molina, said that he had contacted the immediate family but he was not given the authority to speak on behalf of the family.

Alforque, however, said that he could speak for himself as the victim’s cousin, being a part of the family.

He commended the police for arresting Ramos.

He also said that the police should file a case against the suspect at the soonest time possible so that he would be prosecuted.

He said that the wake of his cousin was held at his home in Barangay Marigondon, Lapu-Lapu City and he had been there on Saturday.

He also said that his cousin’s family and himself discussed if he could be the lawyer in the case against the suspect.

“Natural mo tabang ko tungod kay igagaw gud nako ang gi patay sa mga tulisan (I told them that I will help because he is my cousin who was killed by a robber),” Alforque said.

He described his cousin as a good man, although they did not see each other often because he now lived in Lapu-Lapu City.

He said that before Molina was living in Logarta St. in Barangay San Roque, Cebu City.