Suspects believed from Cansojong: Rob group eyed in priest's slay

CEBU, Philippines – A group of robbers from barangay Cansojong, Talisay City is believed to be responsible for the killing of a priest Monday night at the Cebu South Coastal Road.

Supt. Henry Biñas, Talisay City police chief, said that the group has also been linked to a number of robberies in the area.

The victim, Fr. Jovencio Rabusa, was shot dead while he was walking on the dimly lit road on his way to the house of his sister in Cansojong. He was reportedly with two companions.

Rabusa was said to have parked his vehicle at a nearby gasoline station and walked towards his sister’s house.

One of three men reportedly grabbed the priest from behind and poked a gun at him and immediately fired thrice.

The priest was rushed to the Talisay City District Hospital where he expired at around 9:20 p.m. 

While the priest’s wallet was not taken, his black bag was reportedly found at a lot planted with banana by a certain Brian Juario in sitio Kimba, Cansojong. The bag was found around 11 a.m. yesterday behind Juario’s house.

Biñas said that this is a breakthrough in the case.

The bag still contained a pair of shorts, a towel, a pair of underwear, an empty sunglass case, a notebook, and a Mass guide book, among a few others.

It was Juario’s father, Antonio, who called up for police assistance when he spotted three men, one who had his face covered with a shirt, outside the fence of their house past 11 a.m. yesterday. 

Biñas believes that the bag was left behind by the suspects.

“We are on 90 percent in solving the case,” Biñas said.

Meanwhile, Lucita Baguio, 49, of sitio Abalo, Cansojong, who was invited by the police for questioning, denied that her son, Reynaldo “Hapon” Baguio, 26, has any involvement in the crime.

She however accused a certain “Racel” and a “Gerald Pangag” as the ones who could have likely pulled such heist.

She said that her son left for Negros Oriental after the Sinulog last January and has not returned since then.

Meanwhile, Cebu Provincial Police Office director Jesus Gacquing said that he believes that the Talisay police can crack this case.

Gacquing however appealed to the Talisay City government to install lights in the coastal road, as it has become an area where a lot of robberies have taken place since the road was opened to the public.

Meanwhile, the body of Rebusa was brought to the Archbishop’s Palace.

His remains were transferred to St. Francis de Assisi Church in Naga, where he served for almost two years as an assistant priest.

Condemnation

Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal J. Vidal and the entire Archdiocese of Cebu condemned the killing of Fr. Rabusa.

Msgr. Achilles Dakay, Cebu Archdiocese Media Liaison Officer, said that Vidal has already mandated for an “Act of Reparation” throughout the whole archdiocese aside from the prayers that each parish was ordered to offer for the “cruel” murder of Rabusa.

Dakay said that Catholic community has tagged Rabusa’s killing as “desecration” or extreme disrespect committed against the church as a priest is considered a sacred symbol in the house of the holiness.

In the act of reparation, Dakay said that aside from prayers, parishes especially those in which Rabusa has served — Bantayan, Guadalupe, Buanoy in Balamban, Santander and Naga — must submit to acts of repentance and prayers for forgiveness.

Dakay said that they are entrusting the immediate resolution of the case to the police.

For the murderers who remain unidentified, “We’ll pray for them for repentance on what they have done and for forgiveness from the Lord,” Dakay said.

He clarified that the incident will not stop them from wearing civilian clothes while outside the parish and from having cellular phones.

Dakay said the church does not believe comments that a priest in his clerical garments would never meet such unfortunate incident.

Dakay said that this is the first time that a “brutal killing” of a priest has happened in Cebu.

He however said that it has not so far caused any panic among other priests. – With AJ de la Torre/NLQ (THE FREEMAN)