Gisela Boniel murder suspects arrested in Lapu-Lapu City after hiding for 2 years

Police arrest Allan delos Reyes, Jr. (left) and Lobo Boniel (right) in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu on September 12, 2019, after two years of hiding from authorities. CDND PHOTO / Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — A patrolman based in Lapu-Lapu City hid the two suspects who are allegedly involved in the killing of former Bien Unido mayor Gisela Boniel on June 7, 2017.

This was the revelation of Police Colonel Jonathan Cabal, director of the Bohol Provincial Police Office, during the press conference on Thursday, September 12, held at the Camp Sergio Osmeña, the headquarters of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas.

Cabal said they were given a tip by a source that Lobo Boniel and Allan Delos Reyes, Jr., who are the fourth and fifth most wanted individuals in Lapu-Lapu City and Bohol, were found roaming around Lapu-Lapu City.

They were not able to catch the two suspects in the two years that they were reportedly hiding in Lapu-Lapu City.

On Thursday morning, September 12, Cabal said they received information that Lobo and Allan Delos Reyes were again seen in Lapu-Lapu City.

Police were able to arrest them in Barangay Basak inside the house owned by Police Patrolman Nico Ababon, who happens to be the cousin-in-law of Lobo.

Lobo is the cousin of former Bohol Provincial Board member Niño Rey Boniel, the husband of Gisela. The former board member is being pointed as the mastermind of Gisela’s murder.

Cabal said they confiscated a police T-shirt, a .45 calibre pistol, and five live ammunitions from Lobo. All these are believed to be the properties of Ababon.

“May kinalaman yung pulis (Ababon) na yun kasi nakatira si Lobo doon,” said Cabal.

(That police was definitely involved because Lobo was living in his house.)

He said Ababon will be investigated thoroughly because “harbouring a suspect of a crime is against the law.”

Cabal said Delos Reyes confided to them that their legal counsel, whose name CDN Digital chose not to reveal, allegedly told them to hide from the authorities when the warrant for their arrest was released in 2017.

Cabal said they will be filing a case of obstruction of justice against the legal counsel and the lawyer may even lose his license to practice law.

Both suspects refused to answer questions from the media on who told them to hide from authorities.

Delos Reyes said he will answer all allegations in court.

The two suspects have been hiding from authorities since 2017. Only when the court released an alias warrant on August 2019 that the police was able to serve their warrant.

READ: No more hiding for two suspects of Gisela Boniel’s case

An alias warrant is issued by a court when the original warrant is returned to the court without being served.

Lobo and Delos Reyes are two of the nine suspects in the killing of Gisela. They are allegedly the cohorts of Niño Rey Boniel, former Board Member of Bohol and husband of Gisela.

According to the Bohol police, Lobo and Delos Reyes allegedly kidnapped Gisela.

Lobo was reportedly the right hand of Niño Rey while Delos Reyes was in the boat where Mayor Gisela was allegedly killed. / celr