Partner may have ‘orchestrated’ slay

Former Cebu City Market Administrator Winefredo Miro, the alleged mastermind in the ambush-slay of Ermita Barangay Captain Felicisimo Rupinta, asked the court to dismiss the case filed by the police against him for lack of probable cause.

In his 22-page counter affidavit, Miro alleged that there is a possibility and “very strong probability” that Rupinta’s commonlaw-wife, Jocelyn Mendoza, orchestrated the assassination of Rupinta so she will take control of the wealth of the slain barangay captain.

Miro said he does not personally know Jimmy Largo who was allegedly one of the hired gunmen to kill Rupinta. Also, Miro said he does not know Rolando Pacres, one of the witnesses to the killing.

“It must be established by competent evidence, which is absent in my case even with the statements or testimonies of these Jocelyn (Mendoza) and Pacres which statements or testimonies are incompetent in themselves as evidence,” Miro said.

Miro said the police should look into the possible participation of Mendoza who was “never touched by anyone of the assassins” despite her very proximate position with Rupinta.

Miro, in an interview, said his life has changed as he was surprised and shocked upon knowing the allegations thrown at him by the camp of Mendoza.

In a press conference yesterday, Atty. Edgar Fernandez Gica, one of the legal counsels of Miro, said that their camp is asking the police to further conduct a thorough investigation to reveal the real mastermind of the killing.

In the same counteraffidavit, Miro said although that they are political rivals, there is no reason for him to kill the barangay captain.

“I am not a killer; neither do I have the instinct of a killer nor ambition of becoming one; I will repeat it that I am not responsible in any manner whatsoever for the death of Imok,” reads a portion of the affidavit.

Miro and his legal counsels filed his affidavit yesterday at 9:30 a.m. before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor.

To recall, Rupinta was ambushed on November 23, 2017 while he was on his way home to Liloan town of Cebu with Mendoza. Mendoza was unharmed during the incident.

It was on December 28, 2017 when Regional Special Operation Group-7 filed complaints for murder and attempted murder against Miro for allegedly plotting the killing of Rupinta and Mendoza.

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."

However, Miro believed that RSOG-7 was “misled into believing the baseless and unfounded accusations” made by Mendoza.