Suspect in Aurora publisher’s killing sends surrender feelers

ANGELES CITY — A suspect in last year’s killing of the publisher of a Dingalan, Aurora tabloid has sent surrender feelers amid reports that unidentified men are out to kill him and another suspect also still at large.

"We have talked to some relatives of suspect Boy Morete and they told us that he now wants to surrender. He is just waiting for a trusted intermediary," Pedro Roque Jr., chief of the National Bureau of Investigation based in Cabanatuan City, told The STAR yesterday.

The NBI and Rosnel Cruz, daughter of Starline Times Recorder publisher-editor Philip Agustin who was gunned down in her home in Dingalan on May 10 last year, are the complainants in the murder case against Morete, Emmanuel Alday and Dingalan Mayor Jaime Ylarde.

Ylarde gave himself up last week before an arrest warrant could be issued against him.

Another suspect, Reynaldo Morete, who admitted acting as a lookout in the killing, tagged Ylarde as the mastermind.

He and two witnesses are now under the witness protection program of the Department of Justice.

Sources said Boy Morete sent surrender feelers after unidentified men had tried to kill him.

"He and Alday are being hunted by still unidentified men," one of the sources said. 

Roque, however, said his men have gathered information that Alday apparently has no plans to surrender, even telling his relatives that he would rather die than give himself up.

"Our investigation disclosed that it was Alday who actually fired the shots that killed Agustin," he said.

Roque said Reynaldo Morete, a cousin of Boy, is set to plead not guilty during his arraignment on June 6. 

"After this, we expect him to be discharged as a state witness in the case," he said.

Regional Trial Court Judge Armando Yanga will also hear Ylarde’s petition for bail on June 6.

Roque said Reynaldo Morete and the two witnesses will appear during the bail hearing upon Yanga’s orders.

Yanga earlier said the witnesses have to be questioned to determine if the evidence against Ylarde is strong enough to reject his bail petition.

Roque said Boy Morete and Alday belong to a gun-for-hire group with 12 members based in Umiray and Dingalan towns in Aurora.

"There is another member, identified as Danny Almueta, who apparently knew about the plans to kill Agustin, but he was not included in carrying out the plot. But he is also on the run because he is being hunted for another murder," Roque said.