ALBAY, Philippines – Another eyewitness shared her experience in the afternoon of December 22 when Ako Bicol Party list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police aide were killed.
‘Pia’, not her real name, was among the senior citizens who received a gift pack from Batocabe’s gift-giving event in Barangay Burgos in the municipality of Daraga.
‘Pia’ recalled that prior to the shooting, she was inside the chapel some 200 meters away from the covered court where the event was being held.
From where she was, she noticed six men acting suspiciously near the venue.
The six men looked very unfamiliar, she said.
“Noong nandoon ako sa loob ng simbahan, may nakita akong mga nakamotor. Anim sila. Iyong tatlo parang mga nakasuot ng (kulay) itim,” she said.
“Sa tingin ko hindi mga tagarito kasi noon lang ang pagkakita ko sa kanila…Puro nakamotor. Parang mga payat lang sila. Medyo. Hindi naman masyado. Parang matatangkad,” she added.
Barangay Burgos is a small town with only around 700 people and ‘Pia’ is certain that she knows each of the residents in the place.
‘Pia’ said she understands why residents of Barangay Burgos refuse to speak of what they have witnessed in fear for their lives.
The details she shared confirmed PNP Chief Director General Oscar Albayalde’s statement on Wednesday that the suspects were motorcycle-riding gunmen.
“We think siempre it’s premeditated. Meron pa silang getaway motorcycles,” Albayalde told reporters.
Crime scene of the murder of Ako Bicol Party list Rep. Rodel Batocabe and his police aide
Earlier on Thursday, members of the investigating team revisited the crime scene to calculate the proximity of the victim from the suspects’ position.
PSupt. Dennis Balla said, Rep. Batocabe was shot at close range.
“Base naman sa ginawa nating reenactment, bale malapitan lang talaga, malapitan,” the chief of the Daraga Police said.
Meanwhile, Balla confirmed that the gunmen used two types of firearms in the incident.
Fifteen bullet slugs were also recovered from the crime scene.
“Base doon sa nakuha nating ebidensya…caliber 40 and caliber 45,” he said.
The reward money for the capture of the assassins is now raised to P50 million pesos.
The Daraga Police is encouraging the witnesses or whosoever has information on the whereabouts of the suspects to come out and help in the investigation while the PNP vow to provide them the utmost protection they need.
“More than 100 percent i-a-assure natin iyan. We treat these mga informants natin with confidentiality. So iyon ang sinasabi natin. Hindi ninyo malalaman kung sino, kung anuman iyong tulong na maibibigay nila sa amin,” Balla assured. – Marje Pelayo (with reports from Mai Bermudez)
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