The fifth suspect involved in the killing of Junel Cabiluna whose body was buried in a vacant lot in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City, Cebu, is arrested in Dumanjug town, Cebu today, November 30, 2019. | Contributed Photo courtesy of Dumanjug Police Station
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The fifth suspect in the killing of Junel Cabiluna, whose body was found buried in a vacant lot on November 25, 2019 in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City, Cebu, has been arrested in Dumanjug town in southern Cebu.
Christopher Amion, 20, of Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City, and the primary suspect of the gruesome murder of Cabiluna, was arrested at 12:30 p.m. of November 30.
Police Major Ardioleto Cabagnot, chief of Dumanjug Police Station, said that a concerned citizen called them around noon about an armed man and a new resident of Barangay Paculob in the town that looked suspicious.
“Kung makasugat kuno ipaubos ang kalo, moduko unya maglikay gyud,” said Cabagnot.
(The concerned citizen said that this person will covers his face with his ball cap whenever you meet him on the road, and he seemed to always avoid people.)
Cabagnot said they responded to the report and headed to the area to interview the person, but they were surprised to find out that he was the man whom the Talisay City police were looking for in their hot pursuit operation as one of the suspects of Cabiluna’s killing.
During the search of the house, Cabagnot said they also recovered an unlicensed .38 caliber revolver and 3 sachets of suspected shabu, with a Dangerous Drugs Board value of P2,000.
Amion, however, admitted to Cabagnot that the gun was allegedly owned by Cabiluna and was allegedly the one that he (Amion) used to kill the victim.
Cabagnot said that they were earlier informed by Talisay City police that Amion might be in town as they last heard he was in Barili and maybe planning to board a ferry to escape.
An information that was later confirmed as police later found ferry tickets for Cagayan de Oro City in the house where the suspect, his wife and two daughters stayed.
Cabagnot said that Amion and his wife bought a ticket at the Tangil Port in Tangil, Dumanjug heading to Cagayan De Oro City and from there they planned to head to Manila.
Read more: Talisay City police has person of interest in case of buried body found in Talisay City
The Dumanjug police chief also said that at first Amion denied committing any crime, but eventually he allegedly confessed to the killing of Cabiluna.
Amion told Cabagnot that he was forced to shoot Cabiluna after the latter allegedly threatened to kill him.
He said they were allegedly having a meeting and a drinking session in the afternoon of November 24 to talk about their alleged drug business.
Amion claimed that he asked that Cabiluna lend him some money, but when the latter refused, they started to argue.
He said that Cabiluna, who was allegedly armed with a gun tucked in the waistband of his pants then, ended up threatening him (Amion).
When he heard the threat and seeing that the Cabiluna’s gun was near his hand, he decided to grab Cabiluna’s gun and shoot Cabiluna first before Cabiluna could make good his threat against him (Amion).
He also claimed that he took P1,000 from Cabiluna’s pockets and fled, leaving his four cohorts behind, who were tasked to bury the body of Cabiluna.
Read more: Pelare: Buried body in Talisay identified; 4 ‘gun-for-hire’ suspects nabbed
Amion’s alleged cohorts Javier Jason Cabier, 30; Arwin Calinawan, 27; Rommel Bacacao, 27; and Gener Bacus, 28, arrested last November 29 during a hot pursuit operation on November 29.
They claimed then that Cabiluna was killed because he refused to allegedly provide them with a free supply of illegal drugs.
On the claims of Police Major Gerard Pelare, Talisay City Police Station chief, that the suspects were allegedly members of a gun-for-hire group, Amion denied this allegation.
He admitted to Cabagnot that what he and the others allegedly had were their being involved in the illegal drug business.
Amion will be facing a case of illegal possession of firearms and possession of illegal drugs that will be filed by the Dumanjug police while the Talisay City police will file robbery with homicide charges against him.
Amion was detained at Dumanjug police station detention cell pending the filing of the charges./dbs