Ambush of cement firm official: Police fail to file case vs suspects

CEBU, Philippines - The police failed to meet the deadline yesterday in the filing of charges against the suspects in last Friday’s ambush of an official of a cement factory based in San Fernando town.

Superintendent Pablo Labra II, deputy director of the Cebu City Police Office, said they have already acquired all the needed evidence, and were supposed to beat yesterday’s deadline.

 “It just so happened na Sa-turday karon (yesterday). Usually g’yud, we need the whole day for a case to be filed. Hapon na man sad gud na-gather ang mga evidence pagka-Friday kay hapon na man nadakpan ang tanang suspects,” he said.

The police are supposed to file charges for attempted murder, illegal possession of firearms, and illegal possession of dangerous drugs yesterday against Jerome Noel, 41, the alleged mastermind in the failed bid to kill Nestor Zamoras, 45, marketing manager of Taiheiyo Cement.

Attempted murder charges will also be filed against Orlando Sagnoy, 30, the alleged gunman, and his companion, Roberto Tercero, 27, who drove the motorcycle during the shooting. A separate illegal possession of firearm will be filed against Sagnoy.

Tercero was allegedly hired by Noel, a construction contractor, to kill Nestor Zamoras, 45. Tercero, in turn, allegedly hired Sagnoy.

Sagnoy was identified as the one who ambushed Zamoras but the bullets did not penetrate the victim’s bullet-proofed Ford Everest.

Labra said he had requested the Investigation and Detective Management Branch and the Homicide Section to immediately file the case against the suspects.

However, PO3 Michael Codaste of the CCPO Homicide Section said the prosecutor’s office was closed at 12 p.m. yesterday and they were not able to proceed with the filing of the case.

Labra said the filing of the case will be done on Monday.

Codaste said Noel was supposed to post bail yesterday but with the resumption of the filing of the case tomorrow, the suspect will remain detained at the Mabolo Police Station. Sagnoy and Tercero are temporarily detained at the CCPO stockade.

The bail for attempted murder charge is P120,000; for illegal possession of firearm charge, P80,000; and for illegal possession of dangerous dugs case, P200,000.

Labra said the motive that they are now pursuing is job-related. He, however, would not confirm speculations that there is another mastermind in the incident.

Insp. Genilo Veraque of the IDMB said that both Zamoras and Noel brushed aside the love triangle angle as motive. Zamoras reportedly claimed that he does not know Noel.

Veraque identified Noel, currently residing in Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City, as a defeated candidate for councilor in Carcar City in the 2007 elections.

Police arrested the three suspects hours after the incident, which occurred at the corner of Gorordo and Cardinal Rosales avenues in Barangay Kamputhaw, just meters away from the CCPO headquarters. — /LPM (FREEMAN NEWS)