"Politics behind illustrisimo murder": Capitol offers P1M to help get killers

Capitol is putting up a P1 million reward to anyone who can provide information that would lead to the solution of the killing of Santa Fe, Bantayan Island mayoralty candidate Rogelio Illustrisimo, Sr. last Wednesday.

Illustrismo was shot dead outside of the Cebu Provincial office of the Commission on Elections inside the Capitol compound.

The reward was announced yesterday by Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia during a proclamation rally for candidates of her One Cebu Party in the town of Madridejos also in Bantayan Island.

She was with reelectionist Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez.

The money shall be taken from the peace and order funds of the province or the governor''s intelligence fund.

"We condemn the killing of Mayor Illustrisimo kay election ra gud ni. We would like the killer to be arrested immediately and for this reason, we offer P1 million reward that could lead to the arrest of the killer," Sanchez said.

Earlier, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña also offered a P300,000 reward to anybody who could provide information leading to the arrest of Illustrisimo''s assassin.

Osmeña said he hopes that the reward would encourage the public to help solve the killing and criticized Comelec''s policy of prohibiting the legitimate gun holders from bringing their licensed firearms during the election period without securing permit from the commission.

Ilustrisimo, a former mayor of Sta. Fe and mayoral candidate of the Lakas CMD, was shot twice in the nape by a lone assailant.

He had just attended a hearing of the disqualification case filed against him by his opponent, Domingo Zaspa of the One Cebu-Kampi of Garcia.

Election Related

Task Force Illustrisimo head, Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, chief of the Cebu City Police Office, said that the evidence they have gathered about the case point to the elections as the motive behind the killing.

"We have substantial basis that this could be inclined to be political and election-related...there are other information that we received trying to divert our focus away from the election related angle that we are pursuing," Comendador said.

The task force already has five witnesses including two tricycle drivers, who were the ones who gave the police a description of the physical appearance of the assailant and his cohort.

The three other witnesses have reportedly gave a positive identification based on the artist''s sketch of the gunman.

The police are still doing a further check of the background of the prime suspect, but comendador said that he has "previous derogatory records."

He added that he would also ask incumbent Sta. Fe Mayor roger Illustrisimo, son of the victim, to give them a copy of the threatening text messages sent to the elder Illustrisimo.

The mayor was with his father during the daring attack on broad daylight.

Investigators are also hoping to get more information from Zaspa, who was with the victim minutes before the incident at the Comelec office.

A team from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-7 led by Chief Inspector Rex Derilo has been sent to Sta. Fe to gather information from the people of the town.

Yesterday, Chief Supt. Geary Barrias, chief of the Directorate for Investigation and Detection Management led top police officials in an ocular inspection of the crime scene.

PNP chief Oscar Calderon has ordered the police regional office to hasten the investigation and arrest the assailant.

Intimidation

The opposition in Cebu Province led by gubernatorial candidate Antonio Yapha and his runningmate Clavel Asas-Martinez, claim that the killing of Illustrisimo, who was their political ally, was mean to intimidate them.

Moreso, they also believe that it was a ploy meant to justify putting the 4th District, a known bailiwick of the Martinez family, under Comelec control.

In fact, a recommendation has already been made by Sr. Supt. Carmelo Valmoria that the entire Bantayan Island be put under Comelec control due to the killing of Illustrismo.

Gov. Garcia however believes that the entire 4th District should be put under Comelec control.

The proposal of Garcia is strongly opposed by the camp of Martinez saying that the area is peaceful. In fact, Illustrisimo was not killed there, but at the Capitol.

The 4th District is composed of nine towns including three in the island of Bantayan - Sta. Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos.

The Martinez camp has argued that the presence of the military would only cause chaos in the district.

But Garcia said there is nothing to fear if the district will be placed under Comelec control.

"We would rather have legitimate and legal peacekeeping to oversee the entire district rather than to see the spectacle around with goons."

Valmoria cited intense political rivalry as the reason for his recommendation.

His request will be forwarded to Camp Crame, which will, in turn, endorse this to the Comelec central office in Manila.

Earlier, Comelec 7 Regional Attorney and Provincial Election Supervisor Lionel Castillano said no locality will be placed under their control unless a serious armed threat that will prevent the holding of the election in the area is reported and verified.

NBI Summons Fiscal

Assistant Cebu City Prosecutor Simaco Labata yesterday appeared before the National Bureau of Investigation in relation to the death of Illustrisimo.

Labata was with the victim at the time of the killing and reasserted his statement that he did not see the assailant.

Accompanied by his wife and male staff from the Regional State Prosecutor''s Office, Labata was grilled by NBI investigators for more than an hour.

Labata said that he and Illustrisimo were facing each other while having a conversation when the victim was suddenly shot from behind.

Investigators said that they find it impossible to believe his statement.

"Di man gud ko kakita sa luyo kay matabunan man, dako man siya," Labata explained.

The NBI has also subpoenaed several security guards at the Capitol compound but none of them have actually seen the suspects. NBI investigators from Manila also arrived yesterday to help in the investigation.

NBI Manila sent a team of investigators here upon the request of the family of the victim. - with Edwin Ian Melecio and Fred Languido/NLQ