Murder, arson charges vs Zambo mayor junked

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Justice (DOJ) has dismissed the murder and arson cases filed against Mayor Flora Villarosa of Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte in connection with an alleged land dispute.

Villarosa, who is seeking a congressional post in the May elections, welcomed the DOJ ruling, saying the charges were politically motivated.

In a 25-page decision issued on Feb. 6, the DOJ said the testimonies of witnesses Ernie Lumocso and Roy Balayong implicating Villarosa in the murder of Restituto Sasuman were unbelievable.

Lumocso and Balayong, who were former employ- ees of Villarosa, claimed the mayor and city administrator Josecor Gepolongca ordered them to kill Lumocso and in 2016.

They said they burned Sasuman’s house, which was purportedly encroaching on a property that Villarosa claimed to be hers.

The NBI filed the charges against Villarosa and Gepolongca based on Lumocso and Balayong’s statements.

The prosecutor said the statements of Lumocso and Balayong were not credible and were easily refuted by Villarosa’s witnesses and documents.

Sasuman was found with stab wounds in the body, hogtied, his head wrapped in a piece of cloth and his neck slashed on Sept. 16, 2016.