CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Multiple counts of murder have been filed against five suspects in the alleged summary execution or "salvaging" of four persons in Barangay Imelda, Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, the Police Regional Office-Northern Mindanao (PRO-10) announced Wednesday, July 13.
In a statement, the PRO-10 said the case was filed after a witness revealed that he saw the suspects on board an SUV which was also placed and sighted by other witnesses in the area.
“The case of murder was filed on the strength of one of the witnesses saying that the five suspects were on-board with an SUV vehicle that happened to be the same vehicle sighted by other witness at the place of the incident and was also corroborated by other witnesses,” the PRO-10 said.
In a phone interview Wednesday, Police Lt. Col. Michelle Olaivar, PRO-10 spokesperson, said the charges were filed by the Villanueva Municipal Police Station before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor Tuesday, July 12.
As part of the ongoing investigation, Olaivar said the regional police already tasked the local police to provide necessary measures to secure the safety of the witnesses.
PRO-10 director Police Brig. Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. vowed to provide justice to the victims and assured the continuation of the investigation despite this development in the case.
“This is a good development of the case. Our investigation will not stop here until the suspects will be placed behind bars so that justice will be served,” Acorda said.
Acorda has continuously urged individuals who have any information pertaining to the suspected salvage incident on July 10 to coordinate with the police.
“PRO-10 is still enjoining everyone who has any knowledge or information pertaining to the incident to report immediately to the authority in order to have a resolution of the case,” he said.
The PRO-10 identified the victims as Mark Rounin, 15; Miller, 6, and Noel Bado Jr., a taxi driver, all residents of Katipunan, Barangay Hinaplanon, Iligan City; and Joy Simbajon Canoy, 38, of Barangay Tawantawan, Initao, Misamis Oriental.
In an interview over iFM Cagayan de Oro July 11, Police Col. Raniel Valones, Misamis Oriental Police Provincial Office (MORPPO) chief, said they are looking at illegal drugs as possible motive in the killing.
“(Motive) That's one of our main focus because killing a minor is an abomination and these things are possibly related to illegal drugs,” Valones said in the vernacular.
In their initial investigation, Valones said the vehicle of the victims were flagged down by the suspects in Initao in Misamis Oriental, over 81 kilometers from Villanueva where the victims’ bodies were found. The suspects burned the car in Naawan, Misamis Oriental, over 20 kilometers from Initao.
Olaivar said the police investigating team is consistently coordinating with the victims’ family members to gather essential information that would help authorities solve the case.
Acorda expressed hoped that the warrant of arrest would be released by the court in the next few days to arrest the suspects.