LUCENA CITY, Quezon – The families of the four suspects in the burning of a modern jeepney in Catanauan, this province, on Wednesday, January 31, said they were wrongfully arrested by the police.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/1/gunmen-torch-modern-jeep-in-quezon
THE four suspects in the burning of a modern jeepney in Quezon cried foul over their arrest.
The families of the suspects – Ernesto, 50, sales manager, of Bacoor City, Cavite; Noel, 54, civil engineer, of Binangonan, Rizal; Dominic, 28, civil engineer, of Cabiao, Nueva Ecija, and Jade, 46, film director, from Pasig City – said they were vacationing in Quezon and were in the town of Mulanay to participate in a local festival when they were apprehended on Friday, February 2.
READ: https://mb.com.ph/2024/2/2/4-suspects-in-torching-of-modern-jeepney-in-quezon-nabbed
A sibling of a suspect who went to Catanauan on Friday, February 2, to see them said they are constant travelers who visit various places to observe events and traditional festivals.
On January 24, they commented on a Facebook post by the Mulanay local government unit about an upcoming festival in the town, inquiring about the scheduled activities.
The families of the suspects said they were invited to the police station.
They arrived at the police station and the driver, conductor, and three passengers of the burned vehicle emerged from a van and tagged them as the ones who allegedly set the modern PUV on fire.
The PRO 4-A said the suspects were arrested following backtracking and thorough investigation by the Catanauan police that led them to Mi Casa Resort in Barangay Butanyog, Mulanay.
Police said the perpetrators seem to be professionals and outsiders in Quezon.
Quezon police director Police Col. Ledon Monte said they have yet to determine the motive of the suspects and are still investigating.
Relatives questioned how the witnesses identified the suspects, considering that, according to the police, the suspects wore bonnets, stopped the vehicle, and were armed.
No firearms were found on them when they were apprehended at the resort.
The management of Gumaca Transport Service Cooperative, which owns the burned vehicle, stated that their accusers are rival operators of traditional passenger jeeps who have long been threatening the cooperative since they joined the franchise consolidation as part of the government's PUV Modernization Program.
Arson charges were filed against the suspects at the prosecutor's office in Catanauan on Friday afternoon.
The suspects’ families are coordinating with their lawyers for their next steps.