Charges filed vs Kuratong member
The gunman was identified as Ricky Cadavero, a member of the Kuratong Baleleng.
He remains at large.
Children of the couple who was shot to death at home with their 3-year-old son in Lapu-Lapu City said the shooter was “Uncle Kambal”.
Cadavero and two other unidentified men were charged yesterday with murder and frustrated murder before the Lapu-Lapu city prosecutor’s office.
Police said the killing of Fernando Canillo, 58, his live-in partner Emma Laraño Beronguis, and their toddler son, was considered solved with the positive identification of the gunman by two surviving children, who had watched their parents killed in the living room.
The kids, aged 6 and 4, identified Cadavero from police photos shown to them.
They also identified their father in a photo taken from a security videotape of a 2010 jewelry store heist in Dasmarinas City.
When police showed them the photo, the kids said, “Si daddy yan”.
Police earlier said they believe the the Kuratong Baleleng tracked down Canillo, who had left the gang and joined another robbery group in Manila.
The killing may have been done to settle an old score, possibly over the division of stolen loot, said Senior Supt. Anthony Obenza, Lapu-Lapu police chief.
Fernando Canillo (not Ronaldo Canillo as earlier reported here), was confirmed to be a gang member, said Obenza.
An autopsy showed that Canillo had tattoos on his chest depicting figures of Jesus Christ with Latin words.
Senior Supt. Obenza said these marks were called “taming” (shield) and were believed by gang members to protect them from harm. In the Kuratong Baeleleng, Canillo was also known as Bruno Villanueva alias Tambok.
Obenza said the case investigation went quickly with the help of police counterparts in Region 4, who provided the images from a videotape of a jewelry store heist in Dasmarinas last Sept. 6, 2010, Region 10, the Hi-way Patrol Group 7 and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 7.
Canillo’s legal wife, Alona, showed up yesterday to claim her husband’s body. She brought his baptism certificate from the Diocese of Iligan confirming the victim’s name as Fernando P. Canillo born in Lanao del Norte.
She also asked for the remains of his slain 36-year-old live-in- partner Emma Laraño Beronguis of Iligan City and their 3-year-old son Fernando II.
However, police turned her down since other family members of the victims had the legal right to claim the bodies.
Obenza said police showed 32 pictures to two children several times with staff of the Department of Social Welfare and Development present.
The two children who survived the June 9 bloodbath are undergoing stress debriefing by child care experts of the DSWD.
They will be the main witnesses in the criminal cases filed for the three deaths and injury of Emma’s 17-year-old brother, Ric-ric.
In the complaints filed by the police, Alona, serves as complainant for the death of her spouse.
The two surviving children, aged 6 and 4, stand as complainants of the two counts of murder and frustrated murder for the death of their Fernando and Emma, and wounding of Emma’s brother Ric-ric.
Alona told reporters she wasn’t aware of her husband’s illegal activities.
She said she knew him as a farmer when they were living together and that he had no body tattoos then. They separated after she found out Emma had a a child with his husband.
Alona said she never met Emma but just heard of her.
She said the last time she saw her spouse, Fernando, was during the graduation of their child in grade school in March 2006.
Alona said she learned about his death from Fernando’s younger sister, Josephine Mugot, who accompanied her to Cebu yesterday, to bring his remains home to Ozamis City.
Alona also tried to recover the bodies of Emma and the slain 3-year-old boy.
“Amoa na dad-on kay para amoa mapahiluna. Luoy man pud ko kung akoa ibilin ang babaye kay nag-unong gud sila sa hangtod sa kamatayon. Dili jud basta-basta ang nahitabo,” she said.
But Supt. Obenza refused, saying police have to wait for the legal claimants of the woman and her son.
Three counts of murder and frustrated murder were filed in Lapu-Lapu City Prosecutor’s office against Cadavero and two unidentified men.
By now, the killers are probably out of Cebu, said Senior Supt. Obenza. With Jhunnex Napallacan
