Potential star witness in Ecija ABC head’s slay missing

CABANATUAN CITY — A potential star witness in last week’s gunslaying of the president of this city’s Association of Barangay Captains (ABC) is missing, police said.

Ernesto Ferrer, chairman of Barangay Nabao, could no longer be found shortly after issuing an eyewitness account on last Thursday’s killing of Cabanatuan ABC president Augusto Santiago, 52.

Superintendent Eliseo Cruz, Cabanatuan police chief, told The STAR that Ferrer went missing shortly after shedding light on the attack on Santiago, who was shot dead in front of the cockpit arena owned by the family of three-term Gov. Tomas Joson III.

Ferrer was walking a few steps ahead of Santiago on their way to their vehicle parked in front of a gasoline station after joining a derby at the Necosip cockpit arena in Barangay Daang Sarile when the shooting occurred. Santiago died from a single bullet wound in the neck.

Cruz said probers remained clueless on the slaying in the absence of witnesses, adding that even Santiago’s wife refused to talk about the incident.

Santiago had been a barangay chairman since 1989 and considered a staunch ally of three-term Cabanatuan City Mayor Jay Vergara.

His killing came on the heels of the Dec. 20 slaying of Henry Manangguit, a bodyguard of Gapan City councilor Elpidio Rueda.

So far, two Novo Ecijano officials have condemned the killing — Vergara and third district Rep. Aurelio Umali. The city falls under the territorial jurisdiction of the third congressional district, which Umali represents.

Senior Superintendent Alex Paul Monteagudo, provincial police director, has created Task Force Santiago to go after those behind the ABC president’s killing.

Cruz said there are two versions on Santiago’s killing, thus confusing police investigators. In one version, the gunman, clad in a green shirt, appeared from behind Santiago, shot him and then casually walked away. In another version, the gunman was aboard a motorcycle together with another man.

In a related development, Endong Garcia, president of the 849-strong Liga ng mga Barangay in Nueva Ecija, said their group would convene soon to discuss their move in connection with Santiago’s killing.

"Since we are still on a holiday, we will just wait for them to finish their vacation and we will meet afterwards to map out our plans," he said. — Manny Galvez