Ex-Biliran guv killed by lone gunman

A former governor of Biliran Province was shot dead in Cebu City while disembarking from a ferry with his wife yesterday morning.

A team from the Cebu City Police Mobile Patrol Group waiting at the port area to protect the victim immediately collared the alleged gunman, a 57-year-old former bodyguard of the son of the former governor's political rival.

Former Biliran Governor Danilo Parilla, 52, died at the Chong Hua Hospital due to a single gunshot wound in the back of his head that exited through his forehead.

The suspect was identified later as Eugenio Corpin, a former bodyguard of incumbent Biliran Governor Rogelio Espina.

SPO2 Zenaido Pastorfide of the Homicide Section of the Cebu City Police Office, said that based on the accounts of witnesses, the former public official along with his wife Susan were disembarking from the ferry when Corpin allegedly shot Parilla.

The gunman then tried to elude arrest by mingling with other passengers, but was collared by members of the Mobile Patrol Group when somebody shouted from upstairs that he had just shot a man.

PO3 Jaime Apari, PO1 Junicar Estiñoso and PO1 Rommel Mediodia collared him and recovered from him a caliber .45 pistol with a magazine loaded with seven bullets. They also found in his bag nine more live ammunition.

A 28-year-old female witness, who was still trembling from fear when interviewed by The Freeman, said that she was right behind the governor when Corpin allegedly pushed her aside. After that, she alleged that Corpin extended his left hand almost touching the back of the victim's head and then shot once.

"Nakit-an gyud nako nga siya ang mipusil, iya pang gitap-inan ang ulo dayon gipusil, natumba si Kuya Danny sa ako gyung atubangan unya nihupo naman ko nangayo ko og tabang," the witness said.

The witness added that she remember the gunman's face as the one who was with two younger men drinking liquor near where she was billeted for the trip.

She said that the companion of the suspect annoyed her, because of he kept pestering her by asking for help to operate his cellphone. She said that the guy even asked her to open the message inbox of his cellphone that she agreed to do to avoid irking him since the man was already drunk.

The base control operator of Hotline 166 reportedly received a call from a man, who identified himself as Rico Lucena around 4:57 in the morning asking for police protection for his uncle who was onboard a vessel coming from Biliran.

The MPG sent PO3 Apari and his group, who waited for the victim at the foot of the gangplank, but the suspect shot Parilla before he could even step onto the gangplank.

Supt. Melvin Gayotin said that the policemen were there to protect him. But the protection came too late.

He said that he could not see any lapses from his men since they were already at the place when the boat arrived.

Gayotin theorized that the suspect did not expect that there will be policemen waiting for Parilla.

The PNP has its own regular unit for securing people under threat, but a request has to be filed at the regional police office. Gayotin said that in Parilla's case it was just a regular protection alarm. Meanwhile, ship captain Gregorio Mabitad Sr. told reporters that he could have saved Parilla had the ship crew informed him about the threat. Corpin, who initially denied shooting Parilla and pointed to a certain Norberto as the gunman, later admitted to the crime, which he said, was in revenge for an incident that happened in Naval, Biliran last Saturday. Corpin alleged that Parilla mauled him last September 2 at the Naval pier for no apparent reason and the incident has been reported to the Naval police station that same day. An empty shell of a .45 caliber ammunition was recovered from the crime scene. Also recovered were Corpin's personal belongings including a cellphone that reportedly contained text messages of the plan to assassinate someone.

Meanwhile, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines immediately condemned Parilla's killing. The former governor used to be an active member of the Young Lawyers Association in Cebu.

IBP Cebu City chapter yesterday passed a resolution condemning the killing and expressing their condolences to the family of the victim during a special board meeting.

IBP Cebu City president Alex Tolentino said they were shocked to learn about the killing of Parilla, because they knew him as a good person. Tolentino said Parilla used to practice law in Cebu as an associate of Lawyer Adelino Sitoy.

Tolentino said Parilla left his practice in Cebu when Biliran became a separate province of Leyte in 1992 where he was also elected president of the IBP Biliran chapter. Although, Parilla is a prominent politician, IBP refused to delve into the possible motive of the killing.

Tolentino said it is enough that the gunman was arrested and that charges will be filed very soon.

Since Parilla is a prominent politician in Biliran Province, the police are not ruling out the political rivalry angle in the investigation. Police learned that Corpin became a security agent at the Biliran Provincial Capitol until 2005 based on the identification card recovered from his wallet.

Naval Mayor Gerry Espina, who was interviewed by radio station DySS yesterday morning admitted that Corpin was previously employed in his son's office. He however added that Gov. Espina relieved Corpin that same year for a misdemeanor. The mayor denied at the same radio interview having to do with the assassination claiming that their family will not resort to such violent way of resolving political differences.

Parilla was appointed as vice-governor of the said province in 1992 when the former Biliran Sub-Province of Leyte was formally declared a regular province through a plebiscite on May 11,1992 in accordance with Republic Act 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code. Parilla was elected as vice-governor again in 1995. And then elected as governor in 1998 with Gerry Espina as his vice-governor.

In 2001, Parilla ran for another but lost to Espina's son, Rogelio.

In 2004 Parilla ran for mayor in Naval against his former vice governor and lost again.- with Fred P. Languido