CATARMAN, Northern Samar — The lone suspect in the killing of a former university president was arrested past 4 p.m. on Sunday (June 13), less than 24 hours after the crime was committed.
Alvin Plandez, 22, admitted to killing Rolando Delorino, former president of the University of Eastern Philippines but claimed he was forced by a commander of the New People’s Army (NPA) to commit the murder.
Police Provincial Director Colonel Arnel Apud, Northern Samar Provincial Police director, said the suspect also made several claims that are now being validated.
Plandez told police that an NPA commander told him that members of his family will be killed if he will not kill Delorino.
Delorino, 64, was stabbed several times and was already dead when found by his daughter near the kitchen door on the ground floor of their three-story house about 5:45 a.m. on June 13.
Apud said they were able to secure the footage from closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed at the back of the victim’s house.
According to Apud, based on the CCTV footage, the suspect was seen outside the victim’s house from midnight to 5 a.m. on Sunday.
Plandez then covered the CCTV cameras before breaking into the house, he added.
After Plandez was identified, the police started a manhunt.
Plandez was later spotted walking in Barangay Dalakit, Catarman, where his mother-in-law lives and was then arrested.
Delorino was the 6th president of the University of Eastern Philippines, a state university in Catarman that offers the largest undergraduate and graduate courses in Eastern Visayas. The victim served as president from 2016 to 2019.