By: Glazyl Y. Masculino
BACOLOD City – The Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office (Norppo) is investigating another angle behind the killing of radio broadcaster Dindo Generoso in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental last week.
Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Norppo director, said they are looking into the possibility that the killing might also be triggered by the victim’s hard-hitting commentaries against the operations of Small Town Lottery (STL) in the province.
This development emerged after police recovered a pick-up truck owned by alleged STL financier Tomasino Aledro in a secluded area at Barangay West Balabag, Valencia town last Sunday.
Entoma said residents reported that a pick-up truck covered with a tarpaulin was abandoned in the area days after the killing on Thursday.
Aledro, an authorized STL agent in the province, was also charged for murder, along with his brother-in-law Teddy Salaw, retired Police Officer 2 Glenn Corsame, and Police Officer 2 Roger Rubio, Entoma said.
Aledro was included in the filing of case after police identified him as the owner of the pick-up truck through a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera installed near the crime scene, the provincial police director said.
Earlier, Salaw was caught on the CCTV driving the pick-up truck, which Rubio was riding before the latter transferred to a motorcycle driven by Corsame and tailed Generoso, who was supposed to go to work at dyEM 96.7 Bai Radio.
Salaw and Corsame were arrested hours after the killing while Rubio, who is absent without official leave (Awol), and Aledro remain at-large.
Entoma said the paraffin tests on the two arrested suspects yielded negative results for gunpowder residue.
Entoma said they went to Aledro’s house to invite him for questioning but his brother-in-law told them that he was out of the country, contrary to the information of the police that he was still in the province.
“He (Aledro) is known in the province for his STL operations. It is possible that the two arrested suspects and Rubio were hired to commit the crime,” Entoma said.
Entoma said police have not recovered any evidence in the car but they will check if there are latent prints on the vehicle which could confirm the involvement of one of the two arrested suspects.
CASH REWARD
Meanwhile, Entoma said a P80,000 reward will be given to anyone who can give information on location of Rubio and Aledro.
He also said that a concerned citizen also signified to offer additional cash reward.
Entoma said the reward money came from a concerned citizen and the amount could raise to more than P1 million pesos as more and more donors “are giving their support” for the immediate arrest of all the suspects, including the mastermind.
At least 5 tracker teams were sent out to find and arrest Rubio and Aledro.
Police Brigadier General Val de Leon, director of Central Visayas Police Office, said in a press statement, that he has strict orders to Entoma and investigators to focus on establishing “air-tight” evidence against the mastermind in the murder of Generoso.
Earlier, police found out that Rubio was the alleged gunman in the killing while Corsame and Salaw were his alleged accomplices.
Entoma said they have yet to gather more evidence which could confirm Aledro’s involvement, aside from his pick-up truck which was recently recovered by the authorities as allegedly involved in the commission of the crime.
