Osorio 'gunman' may be linked to unsolved cases

CEBU, Philippines - The Provincial Intelligence Branch will be coordinating with the Cebu City Intelligence Branch to check if Lyndon Horandoy, the alleged gunman of Assistant City Prosecutor Patrick Osorio, is also linked to other shooting incidents in the Cebu province.

PIB Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Albotra Jr. said they will check if Horandoy could be the key to some unsolved shooting cases.

“We have a good relationship with the CCIB as well as with the other intelligence units and we are sharing some information in solving cases,” Albotra said.

Horandoy alleged that he was ordered by Allan Sinugat to shoot a driver at the corner of Maria Gochan Street and N. Bacalso Avenue, Barangay Mambaling, Cebu City on January 6, 2009. He learned the next day that it was Osorio he killed.

But when they arrived to the said barangay, it was Sinugat who shot Osorio and not him. He said he was merely driving his motorcycle-for-hire.

Based on experiences, Albotra said that most of the guns-for-hire are drug users where money serves as the common denominator.

He said that guns-for-hire may or may not know who their subject is because they are only given names.

“A specific person will serve as liaison between the hired killer and the mastermind aron dili sila magka-ilhanay,” Albotra said.

He added that the mode of committing such crime is easy since acquiring illegal firearms is simple.

Albotra said payment for small-time guns-for-hire would range from P10,000 to P20,000 per person and big time assailants receive P40,000 to P50,000. This may also vary depending on the prominence of the subject.

The presence of guns-for-hire cannot be considered alarming, Albotra said.

“Nahulog lang ug kusog ni karon tungod kay na-uncover man nato with the previous arrests but dili jud ni matawag nga alarming,” he said. — (FREEMAN)