Police kill man in bishop’s house
An armed manwho said he was looking for Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma was killed by police inside the archbishop’s official residence in Cebu City on Tuesday morning. Jeffrey Cañedo, 41, wearing a mask and a helmet, entered the compound of Palma’s residence. When accosted, he reportedly fired at policemen, triggering a shootout. He had just separated from his wife.
An armed man who said he was looking for Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma was killed by police in a gunfight inside the archbishop’s official residence in Cebu City past 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
PO1 Shiela Mae Estrero, of the Cebu City police’s mobile patrol group, said police received a call from employees of the Archbishop’s Residence about a gunman on a motorcycle who went inside the compound of Palma’s residence.
Estrero said police responded to the call and saw the man still on board his motorcycle at the Archbishop’s Residence.
When police approached the man, Estrero said the man shouted “Don’t touch me!” then fired at policemen.
“Left without a choice, we returned fire and hit him,” Estrero said.
Disturbed
The gunman was identified as Jeffrey Cañedo, 41, of the village of Labangon, Cebu City.
Cañedo was wearing a face mask and a helmet when he entered the compound of Palma’s residence around 10:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
Asked briefly by guards what his purpose was and who he wanted to meet, the man said “Bishop Palma” before he drove off aboard his motorcycle.
Cañedo’s father, Feliciano, a retired policeman, said his son was in desperate need for advice from Palma.
“He was mentally disturbed,” Feliciano said. “It’s been a while since he separated with his wife so he wanted to speak and get an advice from a top leader of the Church,” he said.
Marriage annulment
But Feliciano said he was surprised that his son went to the Archbishop’s Residence on Tuesday.
“He really wanted to have his marriage annulled and work again abroad,” he said.
Feliciano was trying to hold back tears when he learned about his son’s death.
“My son was a good man,” he said. “But let me entrust everything to God,” he added.
Cañedo was the eldest of four siblings and worked for the city government’s depart- ment of public services. He used to work in Qatar.
Chief Supt. Debold Sinas, head of the Central Visayas police, said Cañedo was seen talking with employees of the residence at the parking lot and was told that Palma was in Manila.
“The man appeared to be disturbed because he wasn’t clear on what he was saying,” Sinas said.
Isolated?
“One of the secretaries of the archbishop noticed what seemed to be a firearm tucked in the man’s waist, prompting him to call the police,” he said.
Cebu Auxiliary Bishop Dennis Villarojo talked with investigators at the Archbishop’s Residence.
Msgr. Joseph Tan, media liaison officer of the Archdiocese of Cebu, said Cañedo’s body was blessed by Villarojo before it was brought to the morgue.
“We’re hoping this is an isolated case,” he said.
Palma, who presides over the country’s biggest archdiocese in terms of population, was in Manila last week for the 117th plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) from July 7-9.
Palma, former CBCP president, has openly denounced the spate of killings in the country.