Grandfather leads cops to suspect in killing

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO—If not for his grandfather, a suspect in the rape and murder of a 19-year-old student of the University of the Philippines Los Baños would not have been arrested in Floridablanca, Pampanga, on Friday, police said.

Renato Rivera, 50, led the police to his grandson, Lester Rivera, 22, according to Supt. Benjamin Medina, Floridablanca police chief.

The elder Rivera said Lester arrived on Thursday night and allegedly confided to him about his role in the slaying of UPLB student Given Grace Cebanico.

The grandfather reported to Alfonso Dizon, barangay captain of Barangay Palmayo in Floridablanca, about his grandson’s supposed participation in the killing.

In turn, Dizon went to the police Compact 1 station and informed the officer on duty, Insp. Remegio Flores, about the situation.

By 6 a.m., the police, together with agents of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Calabarzon region, arrested the suspect.

Medina said that during the arrest, the suspect denied killing or raping Cebanico.

He was silent as the Pampanga police prepared his turnover to the CIDG-Calabarzon, which took custody of the suspect at past 11 a.m.

The suspect worked as a security guard at a PS Bank branch in Los Baños.

The grandfather made himself scarce for interviews but a relative told reporters that the man thought that it was the “right thing to do” to save his grandson from further harm. Tonette Orejas, Inquirer Central Luzon