Sibling of a minor allegedly involved in killing a scholar in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, last August 6, 2022, surrenders at the office of Councilor Jun Alcover on Thursday afternoon, August 25, 2022, accompanied by a social worker.| Wenilyn B. Sabalo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Another minor suspected of being involved in the killing of a 16-year-old student in Barangay Bulacao, Cebu City, turned himself in three days after his older brother, also a minor, surrendered to the office of Cebu City Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover at the Cebu City Hall.
The boy, 15, from Barangay Bulacao-Pardo, Cebu City appeared before Alcover on Thursday afternoon, August 25, 2022. The minor was escorted by his uncle and a social worker from the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS)-Cebu City.
The boy’s brother, who is 16 years old, surrendered to the office of Alcover, through the DSWS, last Monday, August 22. The siblings are among the suspects linked to the killing of Jerome Estan last August 6.
Estan was stabbed dead after he resisted a group of people who tried to rob him in Bulacao.
READ: One of two suspects in killing of scholar in Cebu City surrenders
Dad on surreder of younger sibling
Alcover, who is also a member of the City Council’s Committee on Public Order, said in an interview on Thursday that the surrender of the younger sibling was made possible after his elder brother’s surrender.
“Nahibaw-an nga ang iyang manghod gipangita sad diay gihapon sa kapolisan. Mao to nga amo na lang sad gi advise-san ang iyang uyoan nga maoy gadala nga pangitaon na lang sad para maclear ba kay gipangita na man sa kapolisan,” he told CDN Digital.
(It was known then that the younger sibling was also being pursued by the police. That is why we advised the uncle, who accompanied the elder sibling to surrender, to also look for the younger sibling so that there names can be cleared because the police are looking for them.)
The councilor also noted that unlike his elder brother (who previously admitted being in the area when the incident happened), the younger sibling’s alleged involvement to the crime had not been established yet.
“Matud pa niya (younger sibling), wa man siya didto sa akto nga panghitabo. Gikan ni sa iyang statement karon lang. Na-timingan lang didtong lugara, didto sila. Pagdinaganay niapil na siya’g dagan. Mao tong na-identify sa mga silingan nga posible nga apil siya kay nidagan man,” he added.
(He (younger sibling) said that he was not there when the crime happened. This came from his statement now. It just so happened that they were there at that time. When everybody started running, he also ran away from the area. That is why he was identified by his neighbors that he was possibly involved because he was among those who ran away from the area.)
The other suspects, including two minors and a 22-year-old man identified as Jether surrendered to the Pardo Police Station last August 7, to deny any involvement in the crime. But the siblings then remained at large.
Alcover further refuted rumors that there was a reward money being offered for the capture of the two siblings.
READ: Killing of scholar: It was a ‘trip’ to rob, maul that turned deadly when victim fought back
DSWS’s custody
Jay Abatayo, a social worker from the DSWS in-charge in handling cases involving children in conflict with the law (CICL), said the younger sibling would temporarily be under their custody with the younger sibling’s circumstance still being considered at large.
He said the police also could not take the younger sibling in their custody, at the moment, pending the issuance of a warrant of arrest.
Abatayo said that the agency also deemed it not safe for younger sibling to be turned over to his family considering the circumstances surrounding the case.
Moreover, Abatayo said, according to the younger sibling’s initial statement, he allegedly was not on the actual scene of the crime.
“Sa iya pang statement, niining bataa, anang higayon g’yud wala siya. Naa siya’y katagbo didto sa skywalk somewhere in Bulacao. Then eventually nakita niya iyang magulang ug katong other nga barkada nanagan, so mao to nidagan na lang pod siya og apil. Pero wala jud siya sa actual scene,” he told CDN Digital, noting that this somehow, corroborates the statement of his elder brother.
(In his statement, he claimed that at that time of the crime, he was not there in the crime scene. He was at the skywalk somewhere in Bulacao meeting someone. Then eventually he saw his elder sibling and his elder sibling’s friends running away from the area, so he also ran away. But he was really not at the actual scene of the crime.)
Abatayo also said that based on younger sibling’s statement, unlike the other suspects who immediately went into hiding, the younger sibling was able to resume his normal routine and even went to an internet cafe the day after the killing of the scholar — thinking that the reason his brother and three others fled during that night was because of a curfew.
Uncle: Younger sibling not involved
In a separate interview, the uncle of the two minors, said they were somehow relieved that the two minors agreed to surrender to authorities.
“Dugay na unta ni silang mo-surrender pod. Nahadlok lang ni sila unya nangita pod mi og kasaligan ba. Kana ganing kampante mi nga wa g’yoy dautan nga mahitabo nila,” he said.
(They would have surrendered a long time ago. But they were just afraid to do so and then we also were looking for somebody that we can trust. Someone, whom we can trust that nothing bad will happen to them.)
He admitted that their family had not yet tapped a lawyer to help in his nephews’ defense, and this would depend on the advice and assistance of the government.
The siblings are currently under the guardianship of their grandmother after their parents split, and their father went to prison.
The uncle then appealed to the public not to judge hastily, especially that they believed that the younger sibling was not involved in the incident.
“Gusto sa ginikanan sa biktima nga naay hustisya. Kami pod. Mao pod nay gusto namo nga duna po’y hustisya sa iyang anak ug ngadto pod ani ni niya (younger sibling). Malipay pod mi nga katong dunay mga kalambigitan nga magserbisyo pod sila sa ilang binuhatan,” he said.
(The parents of the victim want justice. We also want that. We also want that there will be justice for their son and to this boy (younger sibling). We will also be happy that those who were involved in the crime will pay for what they had done.)
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