Boy, 17, arrested for teenage girl’s murder in Cebu

MANILA, Philippines — A 17-year-old boy tagged as one of the suspects in the gruesome murder of Christine Lee Silawan has been arrested in Lapu-Lapu City, the National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-CV) said yesterday.

The minor was nabbed at his home in Barangay Maribago on Saturday, Antonio Pagatpat, NBI-CV deputy director for operations, said.

Pagatpat said a complaint was filed yesterday against the suspect before the Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s Office.

“We we would like to confirm that our regional office here in Cebu has taken into custody a suspect in the gruesome killing of a 16-year-old girl,” Pagatpat said.

As this developed, the suspect, being a minor, has been turned over to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, according to Senior Supt. Bernard Banac, spokesman for the Philippine National Police.

NBI-CV director Tomas Enrile confirmed the arrest, saying it was based on a warrant issued by a local court.

Enrile said they were able to retrieve footage of closed-circuit television cameras showing the victim and the suspect together.

He said probers are looking into the possibility that the suspect had companions.

Enrile said they could not confirm yet if the suspect and Silawan were romantically involved, although he said they were exchanging chat and text messages.

Meanwhile, Central Visayas police director Debold Sinas said they never linked Jonas Bueno, who was arrested in Davao on Friday, to the murder of Silawan.

Sinas earlier said Bueno’s arrest was due to the murder of a farmer in Danao City in January.

He said that reports linking Bueno to the murder could have been due to the manner by which the farmer and Silawan were killed.

Like Silawan, the killers skinned the face of the farmer, Trinidad Batucan, 62.

Bueno has denied killing Silawan, who was found at a vacant lot in Barangay Bankay, Cebu City last week.

Aside from the skin on her face, authorities said Silawan’s tongue, esophagus and trachea were missing. – With Rey Galupo, Emmanuel Tupas, The FREEMAN