‘ROBBERY, HATRED, AND BUSINESS’: Cops eye cyber warrant to access phone of Estancia killings survivor

By Jennifer P. Rendon

Consent or cyber warrant?

Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) PALIBOSFER, the unit tasked to probe the Sept 14, 2022 shooting incident in Estancia, Iloilo that killed three young traders, will resort to the application of a cyber warrant after “person of interest” Jevron Parohinog declined to issue a waiver or consent to subject his mobile phone to forensic examination.

Parohinog is the lone survivor in the shooting incident that killed his three friends.

Senior Master Sergeant Francisco Lindero, Jr., SITG spokesperson, said Parohinog’s camp had only until yesterday, Sept 28, 2022 to submit his waiver.

Lindero explained that the consent or cyber warrant is a prerequisite for the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit 6 to take cognizance of the mobile phone for the purpose of extraction of information in aid of the investigation.

Parohinog’s mobile phone is still in the custody of the investigator-on-case.

The other phones recovered from the crime scene at Brgy. Villa Pani-an, Estancia were already processed by RACU-6, and the reports concerning the result are already with the SITG.

“The information in Parohinog’s mobile phone could be vital in the validation being made by the SITG,” Lindero said.

JUDICIAL AFFIDAVITS

As far as the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) is concerned, the SITG still has jurisdiction over the investigation and filing of the case relative to the shooting incident.

Lindero Jr. made the clarification after the family of Jan Paul Mark Bosque, one of the three slain victims, gave their affidavits to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

During the 7th case conference on Monday, Sept 26, the NBI representative disclosed that Bosque’s father and fiancée have already executed their judicial affidavits before them.

And as earlier agreed, “there will be sharing of documents between the SITG and the NBI relative to the probe,” Lindero said.

He added that the sharing of documents between the two investigating bodies would speed up the validation of information released by the witnesses and complainants.

NBI might also facilitate the judicial affidavits for the families of two other slain victims, Mark Clarenz Libao and Chrysler Floyd Fernandes.

When asked about the notion that the families trusted the NBI more than the PNP, Lindero said that “it’s not for us to discern. It’s their choice and we respect their choice.”

“We would still be furnished with the copy of their judicial affidavits. It won’t obstruct the conduct of the investigation,” he said.

The Iloilo Provincial Investigation and Detective Management Unit (PIDMU) was reportedly tasked to handle the affidavits for Fernandes’ camp while the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group was to take charge for Libao.

Meanwhile, the SITG already has copies of the judicial affidavits of Parohinog and the two other witnesses.

More affidavits are expected to be executed under oath within the week.

Lindero said that the SITG is still pursuing three possible motives for the crime: robbery, hatred, and business interest.

“The SITG withholds the disclosure of the contents of judicial affidavits as many of the information therein are still the subject to validation,” Lindero said.

The police probers also enjoined anyone not to prematurely publicize the contents of affidavits to avoid obstruction to the ongoing investigation.

IBIS RESULT

Lindero said the SITG is hoping for a breakthrough in the investigation once the result of the Integrated Ballistic Information System (IBIS) will come out.

“We hope to identify the owner of the firearm used in shooting to death three victims,” he said.

The ballistic result showed that the recovered fired bullets and cartridges in the crime scene at Brgy. Villa Pani-an, Estancia, Iloilo past midnight of September 14 belonged to only one caliber .45 pistol.

The SITG, through the Regional Forensic Unit 6, submitted on September 23 to Camp Crame the recovered fired bullets and cartridges for cross-matching with the records in the IBIS data bank.

While normally the procedure takes time, the SITG hopes the result to be released soon.