By Aaron Recuenco The noose further tightened around the neck of Daraga, Albay Mayor Carlwyn Baldo as some of the recovered slugs and shells during the December 22 assassination of Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police escort have matched with the licensed handgun owned by the main gunman whom police identified as a confidential security of the local chief executive. PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde (MANILA BULLETIN) Director General Oscar Albayalde, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), explained that the result of the ballistic examination is essential since it only established that the extrajudicial confessions of the six arrested suspects, particularly of the main gunman Henry Yuzon, are true. “One development that will further boost our case is that the licensed firearm of Yuzon matched with the 11 spent shells and five slugs recovered,” said Albayalde in a press briefing at Camp Crame. All the six suspects reportedly admitted their participation to liquidate Batocabe and pointed to Mayor Baldo as the mastermind who allegedly offered them P5 million for the hit. Witness Emmanuel Judavar was the first to confess about the August 2018 to kill Batocabe after the latter had declared his interest to run for mayor in the midterm elections next year. But Judavar reportedly backed out after a falling out with Baldo. The fear of being targeted next over his knowledge on Batocabe kill plot reportedly drove to spill the beans when the cops interviewed him and eventually squealed the names of the six suspects who did the assassination. The confessions made by the six suspects, including that of Yuzon who claimed that they were double-crossed by Mayor Baldo since the P5 million was not paid, are sufficient evidence to pin down the Daraga mayor, according to Albayalde. But the ballistic examination results, according to Albayalde, have further solidified all the pieces of evidence that they have. Based on the ballistic examination results, there were two types of firearms used in the killing of Batocabe and his police escort SPO2 Orlando Diaz—a .40 caliber pistol and a .45 pistol. Yuzon earlier claimed that he used his .40 caliber pistol in the killing. The other firearm is believed to have been used by the back-up gunman, Rolando Arimado. “We will submit these findings to the court. We certainly have an airtight case against the Mayor and the rest of the suspects,” said Albayalde. Administrative cases Chief Supt. Amador Corpus, director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), said they are now completing all the additional pieces of evidence for the filing of administrative cases against Mayor Baldo before the Office of the Ombudsman. Part of the filing of the case is to request for the preventive suspension of Mayor Baldo before the Ombudsman. On the other hand, the National Police Commission is expected to issue a ruling on whether or not Mayor Baldo would be stripped of powers over the local police. Higher mastermind Yesterday, rumors have been circulating about two other possible motives such as internal squabbles in the Ako Bicol party-list group and a “business angle.” Albayalde said he has not heard of other angles on Batocabe slay, aside from the possible involvement of the local communist rebels which was pursued alongside with the political angle. “What we focused on is the act of the murder and those involved, and we were able to solve it,” said Albayalde. But he said they are not discounting the possibility that there could be some people higher than Mayor Baldo who have something to do with the death of Batocabe. “That is why we have been saying that this case was solved but not yet closed,” said Albayalde.