CEBU, Philippines - It’s been a year since the court convicted Dinagat Representative Ruben Ecleo Jr. for brutally killing his wife, Alona, 10 years ago in their residence in Banawa, Cebu City.
But until now, authorities remain clueless as to his whereabouts.
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (CIDG) 7 chief CIDG 7 chief Eddie Benigay assured that they continue to pursue Ecleo but admitted that they still do not have an idea where he is hiding.
“We are exerting efforts to locate him not only in Region 7 but also nationwide. We have not received any information, but we never stopped monitoring his whereabouts,†said Benigay after prosecution lawyers recently expressed disappointments over the fact that Ecleo remains at large.
Ecleo is among the so-called “Big Four†fugitives in the country and has a P450,000 bounty on his head.
CIDG, which is tasked to track down Ecleo, last year formed Task Force Avengers with the order to conduct a more aggressive manhunt against Ecleo and three other big time fugitives namely, ex-Army Gen. Jovito Palparan, former Palawan governor Joel Reyes and his brother, Coron Mayor Mario Reyes.
Ecleo was sentenced to 20-40 years in jail and pay his wife’s family P25.62 million in damages. He did not attend the promulgation of his parricide case at the sala of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Soliver Peras on April 13, 2012.
Benigay said they have been checking the airports, sea ports, and ro-ro ports and they have an information that Ecleo, also the Supreme Master of the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association (PBMA) cult, is hiding in his hometown in Dinagat Island.
But this is yet to be validated.
A team from Camp Crame went to Dinagat Island last year to after hearing the same information that the fugitive was hiding there.
However, they failed to get Ecleo.
“He is well-guarded in his hometown. We cannot do anything about it as they are his men,†Benigay stated.
While the CIDG 7 chief assured that the government is pursuing Ecleo, he said they also need the help of the community.
The prosecution lawyers of the Ecleo case are calling the Department of Justice and the Department of Interior and Local Government to mobilize its entire resources to arrest Ecleo. — (FREEMAN)