Osorio case witness points to Horandoy as the gunman

CEBU, Philippines - The eyewitness in the ambush of former Assistant City Prosecutor Patrick Ian Osorio in 2009 positively identified suspect Lyndon Horandoy as the gunman.

Yesterday, witness Sergio Abala Jr. approached and pointed to Horandoy inside the court room.

In his testimony, Abala said he was walking along Gochan Street in Barangay Mambaling on January 6, 2009 when he saw a motorcycle ridden by two men moving closer to the vehicle later found to be driven by Osorio. At that time, Osorio was waiting to make a right turn toward N. Bacalso Avenue.

Abala said it was the man riding in pillion, Horandoy, who shot Osorio. The man driving the motorcycle was identified as Allan Sinogat.

Abala said he recognized the two accused positively because they were only wearing helmets.

He reportedly went straight home after that and learned of the victim’s name from the news the following day.

In an interview, Horandoy’s lawyer Daryll Amante said he noticed many loopholes in Abala’s testimony, one of which was when he left the scene of the crime without determining what was happening.

“I doubt his testimony and I doubt him because if he saw the incident, why he left the area without knowing the status of the victim?” Amante said in Cebuano.

Amante said he point the loophole out when he cross-examines the witness on March 26.

Though he was ready to cross examine Abala yesterday, but had to postpone the same because of “time concerns”.

Private prosecutor Danilo Yap said Abala’s testimony was primarily to identify the accused and that Amante’s statement was but a point of view of the defense. “That’s the defense telling us,” Yap said.

“Our witness was able to prove that he witnessed the shooting incident and identify the assailants,” he said.

Yap said he will call the lawyer who subscribed Horandoy’s extra-judicial confession in which the suspect admitted having committed the crime.

He will also call personnel of the city police homicide section because Horandoy reportedly confessed the crime there. — (FREEMAN)