WHY THE RUSH?: Cops not keen on filing hastily prepared case in Estancia slays

By Jennifer P. Rendon and Francis Allan L. Angelo

The goal of the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) PALIBOSFER (Parohinog-Libao-Bosque and Fernandes) is to file a strong case that would convict the real suspects behind the deadly shooting incident in Estancia, Iloilo last week.

This was the response of Senior Master Sergeant Francisco Lindero, Jr., SITG spokesperson, when asked about reports that some individuals want to file the case immediately.

Lindero was referring to the deaths of businessmen Chrysler Floyd Fernandes, 27, of Dayot Subdivision, Barangay Jereos, La Paz, Iloilo City; Jan Paul Mark Bosque, 28, of Lopez Jaena Sur, Lapuz, Iloilo City; and Mark Clarence Libao, 24, of Block 4, Lot 6, Sto. Rosario Village, Barangay Quintin Salas, Jaro, Iloilo City.

The incident happened Sept 14, 2022 at Barangay Villa Pani-an, Estancia.

Lindero said he is not privy to information that there are persons who are insisting to file cases based mostly on the testimony of Jevron Parojinog, the lone survivor of the gun attack that left his three friends dead.

“I am not aware of that. But for the sake of argument, even if they would like to file a case ahead of the head of the investigation, it won’t push through,” he said.

Lindero said that it could be tantamount to obstruction of justice “because of an ongoing investigation.”

“On behalf of the SITG, how we wish for the investigation to wrap up soon,” he said.

But there are still a lot of things to be resolved, he added.

“There are still gray areas about the case. And our objective here is to file a strong case against the real perpetrators,” Lindero said.

FRICTION

There have been reports that someone is pushing for the filing of the case, but the families of the three slain victims threatened to withdraw their support in the probe if the case would be filed against the alleged suspects identified by the police.

Apparently, there is friction between the families of the slain victims and Parojinog.

A source privy to the investigation said the families insist that Parojinog is more than just a survivor in the case.

The source also mentioned that Parojinog’s inconsistent statements as the investigation progressed were “ticklish issues” in the case.

For one, Parojinog claimed that two of the victims had debts in millions of pesos, which their families denied.

Investigators later learned that Parojinog was also deep in debt.

As to the caliber .9mm pistol gun found in the glove compartment of the car, Parojinog claimed that Fernandes was the one holding it.

He also claimed to investigators that he grabbed the gun from Fernandes and placed it in the compartment amid the hail of bullets from the victims.

The source said the scenario presented by Parojinog was strange if human nature is to be considered.

“Na-ambush na kayo, tapos may oras ka pa na kunin at ilagay ang baril sa compartment. And if one of the victims was holding the gun, it’s strange that he did not use it when they were supposed to be ambushed,” the source added.

The outward trajectory of the bullet hole found in the victims’ car also puts the ambush scenario in question. Even the hematoma suffered by two of the victims could be an indication that they may have been manhandled before being shot to death.

VALIDATION

Lindero said the different units under SITG are still validating information, testimonies, and evidence to strengthen the case.

As to when the case could probably be filed, “we couldn’t say for now.” We have yet to finish these validations, which are very vital in our investigation.”

Lindero said they are trying to piece together the narratives of all parties, including Parojinog, and the “persons of interests.”

But he declined to point out the number of persons of interest that are on the SITG list.

Lindero assured, though, that the results of their investigation would be based on science.

These include the kind of firearm used and the trajectory of bullet holes on the victims’ car that might help determine the number of possible assailants.

It would also help if the results of the integrated ballistic identification system would show that bullets were fired from licensed or previously licensed firearms.

But it was gathered that the PNP Regional Crime Laboratory Office 6 would still submit the recovered slugs and fired bullets to the PNP national headquarters on Friday for testing.

The results are expected to be released in 3-5 days.

The Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit 6 (RACU-6) is also expected to submit the initial results of their probe on one of the victims’ mobile phones.

But there were reports that Parojinog, when asked to submit his mobile phone, wanted to get clearance from his lawyer Hector Teodosio.

The other day, the autopsy results on the bodies of Jan Paul Mark Bosque and Mark Clarenz Libao were already released while that of Chrysler Floyd Fernandes is yet to be released.

As per request by the family, Dr. Owen Lebaquin, a retired medico-legal officer of the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6), conducted the autopsy.

Lindero said Bosque and Libao both suffered three gunshot injuries.

Bosque sustained wounds on his right cheek, right side of the chest, and right suprascapular.

On the other hand, Libao had gunshot injuries on her right cheek, anterior chest, and right arm.

It also showed that they were shot at close range owing to the presence of metallic fragments.

The victims also appeared to have suffered from hematoma and laceration.