CEBU CITY, Philippines — The 75-year-old widower, who was responsible for the attack in Compostela town of a lawyer, his live-in partner, and their caretaker allegedly due to land dispute, has been charged with frustrated murder.
Patrolman Alven Morino, desk officer at the Compostela Police Station, told CDN Digital in a phone interview that the case was filed on Tuesday, August 8, 2023.
READ: Land dispute seen as motive behind attack on lawyer, partner in Compostela, Cebu
Widower undergoes inquest proceedings
Morino said that the suspect, Fortunato Rosales, who was detained at the Compostela Police Station, underwent inquest proceedings on Wednesday, August 9.
Rosales was arrested by police for allegedly shooting two persons and stabbing one other inside the victim’s house in a gated subdivision in Barangay Estaca, Compostela town on Monday morning, August 7.
READ: 75-year-old man arrested for attacking three people, including a lawyer, in Compostela
How it happened
At 8:25 a.m on Monday, Rosales visited the house of lawyer, Emmanuel Pacquiao, and shot the victim in the leg when he came out to face him, said Police Executive Master Sergeant Oliver Pilapil Rondina of the Compostela Police Station.
The victim’s live-in partner, Warlita Kintanar, 49, was also shot in the leg. While the couple’s caretaker identified as Jenalyn Lao, was allegedly stabbed by Rosales multiple times before he fled the scene.
READ: Daanbantayan shooting update: Alleged links to drugs eyed in killing of man, minor
Land dispute
In an earlier report, the investigator assigned to the case, Police Senior Staff Sergeant Roland Alo, said that the alleged suspect and his deceased wife, when she was still alive, previously sought Pacquiao for assistance in dealing with their land in San Fernando town in southern Cebu.
However, the suspect attacked Pacquiao when he got angry upon learning that the latter allegedly sold their land without informing him.
Pacquiao, for his part, denied Rosales’ claim and said that there was no buyer yet for the land.
Transferred to another hospital
Meanwhile, Morino said that the victims were also in stable condition and had requested a transfer to a private community hospital in Cebu.
Compostela is a third-class municipality located approximately 31 kilometers north of Cebu City. | Mary Godinez, CTU Intern