Police create task force to probe killing of PEZA official, husband

CEBU, Philippines – The Police Regional Office-7 has immediately created a task force that would dig deeper into the investigation on the killing of a Philippine Economic Zone Authority official and her husband in Naga town last Saturday evening.

Regional police director Lani-O Nerez has ordered for the creation of Task Force Arada that will be composed of the Regional Intelligence Division, Criminal Investigation Detection Group, Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division, Regional Security Agency Guards and Supervisory Unit-7, Crime Laboratory-7 and the Cebu Provincial Police Office.

Lawyer Mary Jane Arada, 59, an officer-in-charge administrator of PEZA and her husband, Francisco Arada, 60, a retired colonel, were allegedly shot by three motorcycle-riding men while they were having dinner outside their temporary quarters inside the compound of Cebu New Township One Economic Zone in Barangay Cantao-an, Naga.

Mary Jane sustained three gunshot wounds to the stomach and one in each leg and died an hour after reaching the Cebu South General Hospital while Francisco suffered a single shot to the back of his head and died on the spot.

Right after the incident, police arrested on duty security guards Rachel Omawan, 31, and Rudynas Danding, 34, both employed by Jantro Security Agency after Mary Jane still managed to name one of them as a suspect before she died.

CPPO director Jesus Gaquing said they have already arrested the two suspects but their investigation into the case will still continue. He added that the arrest of two suspects does not mean that the case is closed, as they still have to go deeper in their investigation.

“There are many possibilities pa, so that’s why amo pa ni’ng palawoman ang among investigation,” Gaquing said.

During their arrest, the two security guards explained to the police that if they were the ones responsible for the crime, they might have fled already. They claimed they even helped the police officers in gathering more evidences. 

Gaquing, however, said this could be the alibi of the security guards so they would not be considered as suspects in the couple’s killing. Both security guards were already submitted to a paraffin test to determine if they fired their gun lately.

The police official said they are still focusing their investigation on the two security guards and they are sticking to the testimony of the dying Mary Jane.

The police are also trying to determine who was the third person in the shooting as witnesses said there were three assailants that were allegedly riding a motorcycle.

Gaquing added it is impossible for the security guards not to see the suspects pass the guard house as there was only one road going to the site.

“Imposible kaayo nga dili makakita ang mga gwardya nga elevated man ang ilang guard house. Unya, moagi man gyud na ang mga suspek didto sa ilaha, syaro wala sila kabantay,” he said.. — Christopher Gabriel C. Bonjoc/WAB (THE FREEMAN)