CEBU, Philippines - As far as the ballistic results show, the gun used to shoot Rohama Luague dead was the same gun barangay captain Rey Oybenes used to shoot himself, a police official said.
Cebu City Police Office acting director Mariano Natu-el said this supports their theory that Oybenes killed Luague and then committed suicide.
“Therefore, maka-conclude na ta kay nag-match na man ang bullets sa patayng lawas ni Rohama ug Oybenes. Meaning to say, it came from the same firearm. So ang atong theory gisuportaan sa ballistic result na the same firearm ang gigamit,†said Natu-el.
The result of the paraffin test also showed that the barangay captain killed Luague, his alleged lover of five years.
Doctor Nestor Sator, head of the PNP Crime Laboratory 7, said that paraffin test result showed that gunpowder burns were found on Oybenes’ right hand, which would indicate that he fired a gun.
The ballistic test also showed that the empty shell recovered from the Toyota Hilux Oybenes was fired from the Norinco .45 cal. pistol, Sator said.
During cross-matching of the slugs recovered, Sator further revealed that the slug recovered from Luague’s body during autopsy was fired from the same gun.
“So the same firearm ra ang gigamit sa kang Rohama ug kay barangay kapitan,†said Sator.
Sator said Oybenes sustained a single gunshot wound, which is mostly the case for suicidal shooting. The bullet was found in the upper portion of Oybenes’ left chest and the bullets’ trajectory was downward.
“Pinaka-common diri sa right temple if right handed. It is also possible na pusilon niya iyang dughan, as long as it is accessible,†the doctor said, dismissing doubts that Oybenes didn’t kill himself. This case was the same for Luague, he said.
The doctor further disclosed that like Luague, Oybenes’ heart was severely injured by the bullet.
“Pirte kadako ang guba sa kasingkasing na maka-cause og instantaneous death. Ang bala gigamit is mahalon, grabe ang damage,†he said, further expressing that the barangay captain had the least chance of living even if he would have been immediately brought to the hospital.
The family of Oybenes earlier said the barangay captain could have still been saved if police had rushed him to the hospital immediately after finding him inside the Toyota Hilux last Thursday.
Natu-el said they are still trying to determine where Luague was killed.
In the paraffin test, Luague tested negative of gunpowder, Sator said.
“Wa ma’y gunpowder, so wa sila gatapad pagpusil kang Rohama. Wala sad traces of blood sud sa sakyanan so posible sa open area. Kung sud sa sakyanan siya gipusil, mataptan g’yud siya’g gunpowder,†the doctor explained.
Natu-el also surmised that Oybenes, who was familiar in the mountain area of Cebu City, stopped somewhere there and shot Luague during a heated argument.
“Gipangita nato kung asa dapit gipusil si Rohama. Mao na lang na gipangita nato, ang remaining one percent,†the CCPO director said.
Meanwhile, Balamban police are set to forward today the affidavit of van-for-hire driver Roy Victor Villamor Legastino to support the evidence and the investigation of the Cebu City Police Office.
It was Legastino, 30, of Asturias town, operator of GT Express V-hire who reportedly saw Oybenes drag the body of Luague and throw it down a cliff in Barangay Cansumoroy, Balamban last week.
“Mao pa paghuman sa affidavit ipasa na ni namo,†PO3 Arvie Banate said.
Banate added they are still clueless as to where Oybenes got the National Power Corp. jumpsuit which he used to cover the body.
The said evidence is in the custody of the Balamban police.
Banate said the jumpsuit appeared new, although its type is no used by the Napocor employees today.
“Possible sa may Talamban na gikan kay tua may Napocor nga planta ngadto dapita…bag-o pa gyud,†he said in a phone interview.
Banate said they are still waiting for further instruction from the provincial headquarters on what to do with the evidence or if they are to conduct an investigation into who owned the jumpsuit. —/BRP (FREEMAN)