By Jennifer P. Rendon
Despite the filing of case against 11 suspects, questions continue to hound on what transpired before, during, and after the September 14 shooting incident in Estancia, Iloilo that snuffed out the lives of three businessmen.
The Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) PALIBOSFER has chosen to be stingy in giving information about the profiles of the five identified suspects.
Questions were also raised on the suspects’ roles in the murder of young entrepreneurs Mark Clarenz Libao, Jan Paul Mark Bosque, and Chrysler Floyd Fernandes.
But what is certain for Brigadier General Leo Francisco, Western Visayas police chief, is that the filing of the case is just a start of a tedious legal process.
Francisco said they might ask for the issuance of a precautionary hold departure order against brothers Jevron Parohinog and Jix Parohinog, Michael Porras, Michael Quiachon, and Benzen Llamado.
“We’re considering that. That’s part of our action,” Francisco said, but he was mum on other details.
A respondent in a criminal complaint may now be legally barred from leaving the country upon application with, and issuance of a precautionary hold departure order (PHDO) by the courts.
As defined, PHDO is “an order in writing issued by a court, commanding the Bureau of Immigration to prevent any attempt by a person suspected of a crime to depart from the Philippines which shall be issued ex-parte in cases involving crimes where the minimum of the penalty prescribed by law is at least six years and one day or when the offender is a foreigner regardless of the imposable penalty.”
But Francisco acknowledged that things would heavily rely on the appreciation of the investigating prosecutor.
“Lahat naman ginawa ng SITG PALIBOSFER to get the documents needed. Sana ma-appreciate ng fiscal ‘yun,” he said.
Cases for three counts of murder against the 11 suspects were endorsed to Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Myrna Duremdes.
Meanwhile, Colonel Noel Aliño, the SITG commander, said they couldn’t go into the details of the case they filed for now.
“The suspects will be given an opportunity to answer the accusations against them. So, let’s wait for that,” he said.
But as the commander of the task group, he said that they would continue to convene to monitor the progress of the case.
On Friday, the SITG PALIBOSFER filed the case against the 11 suspects more than two months after the crime was committed.
Initially, it was only Jevron who was dragged into the investigation since he was earlier tagged as the “lone survivor” of the shooting incident.
The four other identified suspects have not been known until the case was filed a few days back.
Sources claimed that Jevron may have hatched the incident.
“In fact, it appeared that Parohinog planned the murder, based on the police investigation,” the source said.
When asked as to the possible motive, Aliño confirmed that they’re looking at unpaid debts that triggered the incident.
But he did not go into details.
When he assumed the IPPO helm a month ago, Aliño said he opted to start the investigation from scratch.
“Nag-zero-zero ako sa investigation. I want a quality investigation to satisfy the family. We owe that to them. Everything else is secondary,” he said.
Had their main goal been only to file a case, they could have done that a long time ago.
“But our aim is for conviction. That’s why we want an airtight case,” he said.
Just like the majority of the public, Aliño said he wants the case to be over soon.
“Pero hindi ako magpa file kung walang mangyayari sa kaso. Kawawa ang mga pamilya ng biktima,” he said.
After he took the task group, Aliño personally talked to the families of Mark Clarenz Libao, Jan Paul Mark Bosque, and Chrysler Floyd Fernandes.
He also met with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) – Western Visayas, which conducts a parallel investigation.
Daily Guardian is still trying to get the comment of the identified suspects.
