Police closing in on suspected killers of congressman’s son

CRIME SCENE A policeman secures a section of the quarry site in Pagatpat village, Cagayan de Oro City, where Barangay Carmen Councilor Roland Sherwin Uy and his aide were shot dead on Nov. 11. —JIGGER J. JERUSALEM

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–Authorities investigating the death of the son of mayoralty aspirant and first district Rep. Rolando Uy here are closing in on the suspects of the killing.

Major Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson, said a witness reported seeing four men on board a sedan hours before the shooting which could be a lead for investigators to track down the identity of the suspects.

Roland Sherwin Uy, popularly known here as “Tawee,” was buried on Saturday, nine days after he was shot on Nov. 11 at the quarry site where he ran in Barangay Pagatpat.

He and his caretaker Samuel Pabalan were killed on the spot while his driver, Rubie Alayuay, who claimed he was at the toilet at the time of the shooting, survived.

A witness said the men in the sedan stayed for a few minutes in a car wash in Barangay San Simon, about a kilometer away from the quarry.

What piqued the interest of the investigators was that the witness confirmed that one of the men aboard the car matched the facial composite provided by Alayuay to the police.

Alayuay had revised his earlier statement and told investigators that he saw the attacker.

“The witness was able to confirm that one of the car’s passengers was the suspect in the shooting of Tawee,” said Maj. Evan Viñas, city police spokesperson.

Viñas said the men in the sedan looked suspicious as they stayed for a few minutes in a car wash in Barangay San Simon, about a kilometer away from the quarry site.

“The men were strangers and were seen on site for the first time,” he said.

Despite his testimony, Alayuay would still be subjected to paraffin and polygraph tests, Viñas said.

As the congressman’s son was laid to rest on Saturday, the reward money to track down the identity of the killers was also raised further up to P12.30 million, said incumbent Vice Mayor Rainier Joaquin Uy, younger brother of the deceased.

He said it was incumbent Mayor Oscar Moreno who first pledged P2 million from the city’s funds.

The Uy family also pledged another P2 million, while the rest of the money came from concerned citizens and local businessmen.

“Some gave P20,000, some P50,000, while others pledged P100,000 and P500,000,” the vice mayor said. The amount will only be given to informants once the suspects were identified, prosecuted and convicted, he added.

“We were affected by my brother’s death. But still, we are thankful to those who extended their help to the Uy family,” the vice mayor told reporters during the interment of his brother at the memorial park Saturday morning.

JVP