CEBU CITY, Philippines — A long-standing dispute may have caused the tragic death of Police Lieutenant Praxilo Albiso, the deputy chief of the Talisay City Police Station, and a woman is was said to be his ex-girlfriend.
Police Major Gerald Ace Pelare, chief of the Talisay City Police Station, said that their ongoing investigation is leading them to the conclusion that the killing was a crime of passion.
Albiso, 44, reportedly shot Vernice Cardino, 30, during a confrontation while they were inside the deputy chief’s room at the Police Community Precinct in Barangay Bulacao on the morning of October 20, 2020.
The outcome of the police investigation shows that Albiso shot Cardino three times with the use of his service firearm before he killed himself.
READ: Cop shoots alleged girlfriend, self in Talisay precinct
In a press conference this Wednesday, October 21, Pelare said that the two had a long-standing dispute. In fact, Albiso is now facing charges for two counts of rape which Cardino filed in 2019.
Pelare said that the two were engaged in an extra-marital affair that turned sour which led to the filing of rape charges against his deputy commander.
He even recalled having extended legal advice to Albiso, but the latter made a promise that he will not allow his personal life to get in the way of the performance of his official function.
“As a deputy, I had no problem with him (Albiso). He heads our DEU (Drug Enforcement Unit). He heads our contact tracing team. He is a good deputy,” said Pelare.
Pelare said they are now trying to wrap up their investigation of the Tuesday morning incident. The report that they are now preparing will include affidavits issued by Job Order personnel who were inside the community precinct when the deaths happened.
He will also be sending a copy of their report to the trial court that is handling the rape charges against Albiso.
As a precautionary measure, Pelare said that he has given instructions to properly screen civilians prior to allowing them entry at the community precinct in Barangay Bulacao to prevent a repeat of the violent incident that claimed two lives.