By Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – Authorities are not discounting the possibility that the killing of a young man, who was found in Barangay Mansilingan here yesterday, could be linked to illegal drugs.
Police Major Elmer Bonilla, head of Police Station 7, identified the victim as Henry Paul Bombate, 22, of Sitio Sibucao, Barangay Banago here.
Bonilla said that Bombate is the nephew of Ramy Poja, an alleged drug lord in Western Visayas who died when his group engaged in a shootout with police operatives in Barangay Banago in May 2018.
Bonilla said Bombate succumbed to four gunshot wounds in the head and three gunshot wounds in the body.
His eyes and face were covered with duct tape, which was also used to tie his hands and legs.
Bonilla said they believed that the victim was dumped in the area after he was killed somewhere else as there were no blood traces or ammunition shells or bullets found in the area.
Based on initial investigation, Bombate left their house around 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26 to go to the market as he was a fish vendor. His family then looked for him when he failed to go home that night.
Bonilla said they were able to get a copy of a cellphone video showing a man believed to be Bombate who was forcibly dragged by two unidentified persons inside a brown sedan.
Bonilla said they will have to check first if indeed Bombate was the person in the video who was reportedly abducted.
Police will also check if there’s a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the area to help them in the investigation.
Bombate was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Barangay 12 here in May 2019 and was released from jail two years later.
Bonilla said they suspect that three persons could be behind the killing. He, however, noted that they don’t have witnesses, as the area is somehow secluded.
Despite the victim’s background in illegal drugs, Bonilla said they could not confirm yet if it was a drug-related incident, as there might be other possible angles.
