Cagayan priest slay: Sketch of 2nd suspect released
BAYOMBONG, Cagayan – The Cagayan Valley police released yesterday the computer-generated image of the second suspect in the killing of Catholic priest Mark Ventura in Gattaran, Cagayan.
Chief Superintendent Jose Marion Espino, regional police director, also announced that the reward for information leading to the arrest of the perpetrators is now P300,000. He said they put up P100,000 aside from the P200,000 offered by the family of Ventura.
Probers are eyeing a grudge as the motive for the killing after ruling out Ventura’s anti-mining stand, the alleged involvement of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels and his stint as director of the Lyceum of Lallo.
Ventura was gunned down after celebrating mass in a gymnasium in Barangay Piña West on April 29.
The sketch of the first suspect was released last week. The assailants are believed to be guns-for-hire.
Ventura was buried at the Tuguegarao Catholic cemetery in Barangay Pengue Ruyu at around 11 a.m. yesterday.
Thousands of residents, church workers and around 50 priests, including Bishops Prudencio Andaya of Kalinga, Valentin Dimoc of Bontoc, Antonio Tobias of Novaliches and Tuguegarao archbishop emeritus Diosdado Talamayan attended the mass and the funeral march.
Tuguegarao Archbishop Sergio Utleg, who officiated the mass, appealed anew to authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Utleg said Ventura was slain by hired killers “(who are) products of a society... where it is profitable to commit a crime and where criminals are not caught but instead rewarded.”
“The society has less and less reverence for the sacred and consecrated person,” he lamented.
Utleg said the archdiocese would continue to serve the public despite the incident.
“We know God’s justice will prevail in the end,” he said.
Ventura’s family said they are hoping the killing would be immediately solved.
“We have anchored our faith in God... He alone can vindicate us,” Ventura’s sister Mae said.