Gunman in Fernandez' ambush gets tip from 'insider'?

CEBU, Philippines — The Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) is now leaning on their investigation towards a certain “insider contact” who might have updated the gunman with the activity of the slain human rights lawyer Rex Fernandez prior to his ambush.

Police Lt. Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for operations of the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), said this is what they have assessed after obtaining another angle of close circuit television footage where the gunman positioned himself in the area where Fernandez passed in around five minutes.

"We have established that prior to the incident, we have captured, naka-recover ta og CCTV footage nga prior sa incident, nauna’g agi ni ang gunman and then five minutes after, niagi ni ang biktima going to Apple 1," said Parilla on Tuesday.

Parilla also said they have established that Fernandez wasn't a consistent visitor in the area where he was ambushed and his visit may vary from time to time.

"In position siyag una maong ilang giatangan, nakabalo na sila nga didto gihapon siya moagi. It might be dunay insider or lain nga contact nga nag-monitor sa iyang activity, nakabalo na daan for that day nga adto siya moagi," he added.

During the incident, the SITG found out that Fernandez and his driver picked up Rosinda Acot, the real estate agent who was with them during the ambush.

Investigation initially laid out that Fernandez could be Acot's client.

Currently, the SITG revealed they are looking into personal grudge as motive behind the murder and has nothing to do with his job as a lawyer.

Parilla also said they are now holding an evidence to back this, however, he refused to divulge further.

Furthermore, the investigators are still hopeful that they will be able to extract more from Fernandez's phone including the conversation from his social media accounts.

Aside from this, Parilla said they are also in the process of questioning Fernandez's driver to gather more information on the day of the murder.

"The same ang driver, ato sad siyang gibutang as person of interest considering nga didto sad siya. Mi-coordinate na siya nato no but so far atoa pa gi-exploit og unsa gyuy atoang makita niya," said Parilla.

The human rights lawyer was shot dead by still unidentified gunman on a broad daylight along R. Duterte corner Good Shepherd Streets, Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City on August 26, 2021. — GMR (FREEMAN)