2 cops in Toledo face murder raps over mendicant’s death

CDN File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Two active police officers in Toledo City, Cebu are now facing murder charges over the death of a mendicant or locally known as libud-suroy.

The Central Visayas office of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI-7) on Feb. 5 filed criminal and administrative cases against Patrolman Raymond Manipis and Police Master Sergeant Sepjanrey Roda.

Manipis and Roda were accused of beating to death a 59-year-old mendicant identified as Eliseo Rosento.

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Rosento died last August 2024, with the cause of death initially reported as ‘fell on the pavement.’

However, the victim’s sister, Cristita Mahinay, doubted the report after discovering suspicious bruises on his body and wounds on his head, said lawyer Renan Oliva, NBI-7 director, during a press conference on Feb. 11.

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This prompted Mahinay to file a complaint, which led the agency to conduct deeper investigation into Rosento’s death.

Both Manipis and Roda denied the accusations hurled against them, Oliva added.

Investigations

Last November, agents managed to exhume the body and do an autopsy, with the coroner indicating that Rosento died due to traumatic head injury.

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Further investigations revealed that on August 26, 2024, several witnesses spotted Manipis and Roda assaulting Rosento multiple times in Toledo City Catholic Cemetery.

Another set of witnesses also told investigators that they saw the same two police officers beating the victim another time near a gasoline station in Brgy. Poblacion on that same day.

As to the motive behind the attack, however, NBI-7 continue to conduct investigation into the case.

“We already coordinated with the (accused) policemen but they denied all the evidence presented against them,” said Oliva.

In the meantime, the NBI-7 official said they had already coordinated with the Police Regional Office here (PRO-7) to assure that the relationship between the two government bureaus remain intact despite this development.

“We believe this is just an isolated case — isolated acts,” said Oliva in a mix of Cebuano and English.