Get brains in Beltran’s murder, QC police told

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista ordered yesterday the city police to conduct a thorough investigation to determine who ordered the killing of barangay captain and congressional candidate Crisell Beltran.

While Bautista congratulated the Quezon City Police District for the arrest of four suspects in Beltran’s murder, he said the QCPD should not stop until the mastermind is identified and arrested.

“We must dig deeper to know who the mastermind is,” Bautista said.

QCPD director Chief Superintendent Joselito Esquivel Jr. said they were still conducting a probe to identify who ordered the killing.

Esquivel said they are reviewing around 44,000 messages from Beltran’s cell phone for possible leads on the mastermind.

The four suspects, including alleged main gunman Teofilo Formanes, who are in police custody claimed they have no knowledge of the mastermind’s identity.

The other suspects are brothers Ruel, Orlando and Joppy, all surnamed Juab, who were nabbed at their house in Barangay Commonwealth last week.

The suspected leader of the group, Warren Juab, who could be the key in identifying the mastermind, remains at large along with another suspect, Dutch Boy Bello.

Bautista described Beltran as an upright person since she started her career as a politician – from Sangguniang Kabataan leader and barangay councilor until she was elected captain of Barangay Bagong Silangan.

“Talagang makatao at tumutulong sa tao,” Bautista, who visited Beltran’s wake, said.

Asked if he is aware of persons who may have an ax to grind against Beltran, Bautista said it is unavoidable for politicians to have enemies.

“Kapag nasa gobyerno ka naman, impossibleng wala kang makalaban,” he said.

Bautista wondered why the mastermind waited for Beltran to run as representative of Quezon City’s second district before kill- ing her.

“Kung may kalaban ka at malalim yung issue, di sana matagal nang ginawa. Bakit kailangan pang papaabutin na kumandidato ka for Congress,” he said.

Bautista said Beltran was the first politician killed in the city.

“This is the first time that a Quezon City politician running for Congress became a victim of assassins,” he said.