Suspect in killing of ghost project whistle-blower held

CALBAYOG CITY, SAMAR—Police have arrested a suspect in the killing of former barangay (village) captain Felomino Cabarriban of Lagundi, Catbalogan City.

Cabarriban was shot dead while watching a cockfight in their village at 11:10 a.m. on Sunday. The gunman and his three alleged cohorts fled toward the mountainous side of the village, 4.5 kilometers away from the city proper. Two empty shells of .45-cal. pistols were recovered from the crime scene.

The suspect, who did not resist when he was arrested outside his house in Lagundi at 7 p.m. on Sunday, was detained at the Catbalogan City jail.

But police have yet to establish the motive for the killing of Cabarriban because the suspect was not cooperating in their investigation.

“He is hostile. He is not giving us any information about the incident. What he gave us were his personal circumstances, like his name, age and where he lives. Other than this information, he keeps mum,” said SPO3 Manuel Ricalde, investigator of the Catbalogan police station, in a phone interview.

Ricalde said the suspect was identified based on the accounts of Chief Insp. Felipe Tan, chief of police community relations and spokesperson of the Special Operation Task Group of the Samar Police Provincial Office, who disclosed that some witnesses also helped police identify another suspect.

However, police did not provide further information, as they have yet to determine the suspect’s involvement in the case. Police were also conducting follow-up operations.

Mayor Stephanie Uy of Catbalogan City did not comment on the possibility that politics was behind the incident.

“We don’t know the reason [for the killing]. And we’re also shocked at what happened.” Uy said in a text message sent to the Inquirer.

Cabarriban is a known supporter of Coefredo Uy, former Catbalogan mayor and now Catbalogan councilor, and rival of the Tan family.

He was a three-term village chief and was reportedly planning to run for village chair of Lagundi, a post presently held by his wife, Allan.

Cabarriban earlier exposed an alleged “ghost project” in their village funded by the pork barrel of Tan’s mother, Rep. Milagrosa  Tan, worth P11.35 million.

But Samar Gov. Sharee Ann Tan lamented that their family was being linked to the death of Cabarriban.

“It’s really unfair that our family is being implicated in this killing,” Tan said when she called the Inquirer. “We have nothing to do with this incident. What will we get, for example, if we’ll do that? His presence is not affecting us, after all.”

The younger Tan asked police authorities to “speed up” their investigation on the killing of Cabarriban, adding that they have nothing to do with his killing.