"They have no truth in them. They are all lies," insisted the lawyer of slain former Lamitan City Mayor Rosita Furigay regarding the accusations made by Dr. Chao Tiao Yumol, the gunman behind the shooting of Furigay and two others inside the Ateneo de Manila University campus on Sunday, July 24.
Yumol had previously made allegations on Furigay's alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade and corruption in Lamitan City. He has posted these allegations on his Facebook page since November 2020.
According to Yumol, he has received threats against his life after he "exposed the drug syndicate and rampant corruption in the local government of Lamitan." He added that he was physically assaulted by unidentified men who were allegedly sent by the Furigay family.
"Wala po siyang nailabas na ebidensya sa mga paratang niya kay Mayor Roderick Furigay pati kay Mayor Rose Furigay. 'Yan po ay puro kathang isip niya (He did not present any evidence to support his accusations against Mayor Roderick Furigay and Rose Furigay. He made up all those accusations)," Atty. Quirino Esguerra, the Furigay family's lawyer since 2001, said Monday, July 25, in an interview with Teleradyo.
Esguerra said that Yumol began operating an infirmary clinic right across the Lamitan City Hall without a permit from the offices of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
The minister of health in BARMM issued a cease-and-desist order against Yumol, the lawyer said, which was enforced by the local government of Lamitan City.
"Ang nangyari, nagalit itong si Dr. Yumol at nag-post ng mga malicious posts against the mayor, vice mayor, at mga opisyales ng city hall, despite the fact na pinagbigyan siya ng due process para hindi ma-close ang kanyang clinic. Sa dami ng mga napost niya, nag-file po ang pamilya Furigay, pati ang mga empleyado ng more than 70 cases of cyber libel (Dr. Yumol was angered by this and published malicious posts against the mayor, vice mayor, and other officials of the city hall despite the fact that he was given due process to settle the issues of his clinic and prevent it from closing. Because of his many posts, the Furigay family, along with other local government employees, filed more than 70 cases of cyber libel )," Esguerra added.
The cases are pending at the Regional Trial Court Branch 12, were transferred to the court in Basilan, and are now pending in RTC Branch 10 in Davao City.
Esguerra said they have finished presenting evidence for more than 40 out of the more than 70 cyber libel cases.
Yumol attended the court hearings in RTC Davao City through virtual conferencing. According to Esguerra, Yumol reasoned he used teleconferencing as he felt that there was a "threat to his life."
Yumol has eight pending warrants of arrest – seven for cyber libel cases that he jumped bail for, and a case for indirect contempt, the lawyer added.
The indirect contempt case was filed against him by the RTC Branch 12 after he made malicious posts against the judge, his family, and the family of the clerk of court, he said.
He added that the suspect has been "in hiding" since January 2021 to evade arrest.
Motive
The number of cyber libel cases filed against Yumol by the Furigay camp was the main motive for the shooting, according to Quezon City Police District (QCPD) Director Brig. Gen. Remus Medina.
In an interview with DZBB on Monday, July 25, Medina said that Yumol told them the cases "prevented him from performing his duties as a doctor."
Yumol insisted his motive was "personal" and not "political" as he reasoned he did not run nor seek any position in government.
He is currently detained at Camp Karingal.
Medina said the shooting was an "isolated incident" between Yumol and his targets.
Yumol shot dead Furigay, her executive assistant Victor George Capistrano, and Jeneven Bandiola, an ADMU security guard inside the university campus on Sunday afternoon.
Furigay's daughter, Hannah, was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment. As of Monday, she is reportedly in stable condition.
The slain Furigay was supposed to attend the graduation of her daughter when she was shot as she walked towards one of the buildings in the school.
Bandiola was shot after attempting to prevent the suspect from escaping the campus.