Market official as mastermind?
Police yesterday filed complaints for murder and attempted murder against Cebu City’s market operations head Winefredo “Wine” Miro for allegedly plotting the killing of Ermita barangay captain Felicisimo “Imok” Rupinta.
The filing came 35 days after Rupinta and his common-law wife Jocelyn Mendoza were ambushed on their way home in Barangay Yati, Liloan town last November 23. Mendoza survived the attack.
The complaints against Miro, 42, were filed by the Regional Special Operations Group of the Police Regional Office-7 before the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office yesterday afternoon. The complaints will be raffled off to determine the assistant prosecutor who will handle the preliminary investigation.
Mendoza, in her affidavit, alleged that Miro and others "might have orchestrated the assassination of Rupinta taking into consideration the long-standing feud between Miro and Rupinta for the control and dominance of the vendors association and other sources of income in Carbon Public Market in Barangay Ermita."
Mendoza further alleged that on June 8, Rupinta's daughter Feliderlyn Tamundo sent her a message about a supposed plan of Jimmy Largo's group to hire a certain “Negro” to kill the village chief.
Largo and a certain Jordan Gera have been identified by the police as two of the four motorcycleriding suspects who tailed on Rupinta's pick-up before the ambush. They were already charged before the court and pleaded not guilty to the offense charged.
In a separate affidavit, witness Rolando Pacres, 41, resident of San Fernando town, revealed Miro's alleged involvement in the killing, alleging that Largo, his classmate in high school, asked him if he was willing to kill someone for P150,000.
Pacres further alleged that during his talk with Largo, the latter mentioned that it was Miro who would hire him to kill Rupinta.
PRO-7 Director Chief Superintendent Jose Mario Espino said police were able to secure a piece of paper supposedly detailing instructions to kill Rupinta, allegedly coming from Miro. Aside from Miro, a co-conspirator is also now a subject of the police's follow-up operation, he added.
“May narinig siya (the witness) na ‘Miro may boss pang isa.' Yun din ang hahabulin pa natin, kung sino yung boss na sinasabi,” Espino said.
Supplemental charges will also be filed against the two other gunmen who were with Gera and Largo.
MIRO UNFAZED
Miro, in a separate interview, strongly denied the accusations hurled against him.
“Wa man ko kuyawi kay wala man gyud ko'y sala. Naproblema lang ko kay wala ko'y kuwarta nga ibayad og abogado nga molaban nako,” he told The FREEMAN.
Miro said it would be impossible for him to plan the murder because he used to be close to Rupinta during his stint as councilman in Ermita.
“Kon dili pa tungod ni Imok, dili gyud ko mahimong konsehal mao nga dili ko makahimo nga ipapatay nako siya,” said Miro, who is a son of former Ermita barangay captain William Miro.
Despite maintaining that he is innocent, Miro revealed that he has tendered his resignation from his position as operations officer of the Office of the City Markets in Cebu City after receiving several death threats for enforcing stringent market policies.
“Mo-resign na lang ko kay samok na kaayo. Dili na ta makalakaw nga magduko kay kinahanglan gyud ta nga maglingilingi. Wa ra ta makaila sa mga tawo nga nasuko nato,” said Miro.
The threats, he said, come in the form of text messages and phone calls from people who tell him, “Pagbantay lang kay moabot ra ang imong time.”
Miro earlier argued that Ermita barangay officials, under the leadership of Rupinta, have no authority to collect fees from ambulant vendors operating within the streets near Carbon market.
MR. PRESIDENT,
HELP
Hours before the complaints were filed, Ermita officials and workers called on President Rodrigo Duterte to help facilitate the speedy justice for the family of Rupinta.
Barangay officials, through a resolution dated December 26, have demanded that investigation into Rupinta's killing should move now, especially considering the length of time that has lapsed since the ambush.
The resolution specifically requests that President Duterte “help, facilitate, access, and provide a speedy justice of the ambushed and murdered late Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo ‘Imok' Rupinta…in order to shed light and justice” to the family.
The resolution also called for the identification of the mastermind/s, adding that “when justice is delayed, justice is denied, and evil wins and rules.”
Mark Rizaldy Miral, the new barangay captain, along with barangay councilors Antonieto Flores, Ryan Jay Rosas, Aljo Tamundo, Domingo Ando, Maria Buanghug, and Wilbert Flores affixed their signatures on the approved resolution, which will be sent to the Office of the President today.
Even residents have signed the resolution to express their support. Officials expect about a thousand constituents in the barangay to affix their signatures on the document before it will be forwarded to the Malacañang.
Miral hopes that the measure the barangay is taking will help find justice for the family of his predecessor.
“Hopefully aron mahatagan og tiunay nga hustisya ang amoang kapitan,” he said. “Hinay ang investigation, so we want speedy justice. Hinaot sa dili pa mo kuwarenta diyas, klaro na og kinsay mastermind.”
Efe Rupinta, the newly appointed barangay councilwoman and daughter of Imok, said they can only recover from the sorrow once justice is served.
“Among gihagit ang nagunit sa kaso nga unta dili pa mahuman ang tuig, mahinganlan na ang mastermind kay dili tawn lalim ang nahitabo namo. Og kinsay nakahibaw bahin sa kaso ni papa unta tabangan mi ninyo aron matagaan nato og hustisya si papa,” she said.
Rupinta's family and barangay officials are looking at tapping the National Bureau of Investigation if the police would still not reveal the name of the mastermind before the year ends.
But Espino told The FREEMAN it is unnecessary to confer with the NBI since they were indeed able to file the charges as promised.
“If for the purpose of filing a case against dun kay Miro, then I think no need na. Ang ano na lang, sa help sa NBI is to gather evidences dun sa alleged mastermind na si Miro,” Espino said.
He assured the family that police are tracking down all perpetrators.
“Nakita na man nila na the police are still doing their job, kaya sabi ko lang hindi tayo pwede magpadalos-dalos na magfile lang. We really have to cover all yung basis sa pag-file,” Espino said.
In a separate interview, Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, who is now the acting mayor as Mayor Tomas Osmeña is still in the United States for his annual medical checkup, said he sees nothing wrong with the move of the barangay.
“Of course, a barangay resolution is like an expression of the sentiment of the barangay through their representatives, through their barangay officials. So I don't think there is anything wrong, but if they do that, mas maayo they should furnish a copy to the City Council,” he said.
Labella said he hopes there is a proper investigation into Rupinta's case so that the truth will prevail and justice will be given to the family.
“Well para nako, what is important is that the investigation should be done properly and it should not be done hastily. You know, the investigation should not just get documents for the purpose of satisfying the public in the preparation of the documents, they should see to it that these documents, these evidence should stand the test and court litigation,” Labella said.
MAYOR’S CANDIDATE?
Both City Councilors Joel Garganera and Raymond Alvin Garcia, who are allies with Rupinta under Barug Team Rama, have welcomed the latest development on the police's investigation, although they strongly believe that there is still another person involved in the case.
“Nakadungog mi nga dako kaayo ang kantidad nga gibayad ngadto sa mga hitmen ug si Miro nga ordinaryo lang nga kawani sa City Hall, sigurado nga dili makagasto niini,” Garganera and Garcia said as they urged the police to continue the investigation to unmask the real mastermind behind Rupinta's murder.
Miro was rumored to be the candidate of Mayor Osmeña to challenge Rupinta's reelection bid in Ermita had the barangay elections pushed through last October.
According to Miro, he was just waiting for the police to invite him for questioning.