This is the area where barangay tanod Brian Mabaga was shot by a still unidentified suspect on Monday evening, May 9, 2022. CDN Digital photo | Pegeen Maisie Sararana
CEBU CITY, Philippines —Police are banking on a copy of a video footage of a security camera to help them identify the gunman, who shot dead a barangay tanod in Barangay Zapatera, Cebu City on May 9 election day.
However, Police Major Albert Quilitorio, chief of Parian Police Station, said that this would depend if the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit in Central Visayas (RACU-7) could enhance the video footage to show the face of the alleged killer of barangay tanod Brian Mabaga.
Mabaga was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in front of the Zapatera Elementary School a few minutes before the May 9 voting ended.
Quilitorio said that they retrieved a CCTV camera footage but this was of poor quality and so they submitted it to the RACU to help them enhance the footage to show the killer’s face.
He said the footage showed that the same man disembarking from his motorcycle, entering the side entrance and exiting at the time of the crime.
“Naay nakit-an [CCTV] namo nga naay nisulod sa kilid ngadto nga tawo. Tapos ang paggawas sad pero wala naklaro ang nawong,” Quilitorio said.Â
(We saw [a CCTV footage] of someone entering at the side entrance. Then the same person exiting, but his face was not clear in the footage.)
So they sought the help of the cybercrime unit to help them enhance the video footage and perhaps, show them the face of the suspected killer, which could give them leads to arrest the the suspected killer.
Quilitorio also said that they were focusing on the victim’s job as a village watchman or barangay tanod as the possible cause of his killing.
He said that there could be someone who bore a grudge against the victim, considering that the victim was very serious in doing his job.
“Kini sya sa barangay, active kaayo ni sya sa iyang pagkatanod diri sa Lorega. Mutabang gyud sya sa unsay tabangan para sa kahapsay sa ilang barangay,” Quilitorio said.
The victim is veractive in doing his duties as a village watchman or barangay tanod here in Lorega. He will help in whatever he could help to ensure the peace and order of the barangay.)
Quilitorio said that they had yet to talk with the victim’s family to ask them if they had any knowledge of previous incidents or altercations that Mabaga was involved in.
The police officer also said that they had yet to take the statements of the five persons who were with the victim when the shooting incident happened.
As for now, Quilitorio said they still had no lead on who the killer of Mabaga, who at that time of his killing was the duty village watchman from Lorega assigned at the Zapatera Elementary School, a polling center in Cebu City, on election day.
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