Senior Inspector Mariejin Encio, spokesperson of the Christine Special Investigation Task Group, says that talks for the transfer of custody of Jonas Bueno from Davao police to Cebu are ongoing. CDN Digital photo | Morexette Marie B. Erram
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in the regional offices of Central Visayas (PRO-7) and Davao Region (PRO-11) are now in talks for the transfer of the custody of Jonas Bueno, who is considered a “person of interest” in the brutal death of 16-year-old Christine Lee Silawan in Lapu-Lapu City.
Bueno was arrested in a joint operation conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Davao City, National Bureau of Investigation in Davao Region, and the Mindanao Area Intelligence Office on Friday, March 15.
“The commanders of PRO-7 and PRO-11 are now coordinating for the process sa pag-transfer niya from Davao to Cebu,” Senior Inspector Mariejin Encio, spokesperson of the Special Investigation and Task Group (SITG) Christine Lee, told CDN Digital.
Encio, however, said that there is no schedule released yet for the transfer of Bueno.
Bueno, who tops the list of most wanted persons in the town of Carmen, 41.3 kilometers north of Cebu City, has been arrested for a murder case pursuant to a warrant of arrest issued by a court in the neighboring Danao City.
He was initially tagged by a report in a national news outfit as the primary suspect behind Silawan’s killing, but the local police and the PNP officials in Camp Crame both denied the claim.
Encio said that since Bueno’s arrest warrant was issued in Danao City, the police would have to present him first before the issuing court.
Bueno and his brothers Junrey and Jovie, collectively known as Bueno Brothers, has been tagged as suspects for the slay of farmers in the hinterland barangays of Carmen and Danao City, who refuse to give in to their demands. Their victims allegedly included a 62-year-old farmer Trinidad Batucan in Danao City whose face and was skinned to the bone last January 11, similar to what was observed in the case of Silawan.
Junrey and Jovie were killed in an alleged shootout with the Danao City Police two days after Batucan’s death.
Encio said they considered Bueno as a person of interest in Silawan’s case because of the similarity of how the two murders were carried out.
However, the police official said that they had yet to find pieces of evidence that may support Bueno’s alleged link in Silawan’s murder.
“Kami sa Lapu-Lapu City Police, gi-study namo tanan pwede nga angles to solve the case. Gi-consider nato siya (Bueno) nga person of interest tungod sa iyang capability ug modus operandi (skinning of his victim),” Encio said. |dbs