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DPWH Antique engineer’s phone may hold clues ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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ILOILO City – The death of Antique’s acting district engineer Arnel Rebeta was likely a work-related suicide, according to the police task group investigating the case.
But what could have driven the “workaholic” engineer to end his life?
The grieving Rebeta family would be coming out with a statement soon, said Superintendent Rogen Morales, head of the task group that the Iloilo City Police Office formed to get to the bottom of the incident.
Rebeta, 54, was found dead in his boardinghouse room in Barangay Dungon B, Jaro district on July 9.
A forensic investigation of Rebeta’s mobile phone could also yield clues.
The phone is currently with the Philippine National Police’s cybercrime analysts, according to Senior Inspector Shella Mae Sangrines, city police spokesperson.
Text messages stored in the phone could contribute vital information to the probe, she said in a press conference yesterday.
At the time of his death, Rebeta was just on his third month as Antique acting district engineer.
Prior to his Antique assignment which was sort of a promotion, Rebeta served for eight years the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Iloilo province as assistant district engineer in the 4th Engineering District.
The task group was leaning toward the work-related suicide angle, said Morales, because there was no evidence to substantiate suspicions that Antique’s acting district engineer was killed or robbed.
Panay News sources said pressure from politicians and businessmen in Antique may have been too much for Rebeta to handle.
From what the task group initially gathered from the family, Morales said, the Rebetas appeared to have no domestic problems that would have seriously bothered the engineer, a native of Alba province.
Rebeta died of two gunshot wounds on chest and nape.
“We consider the wounds self-inflected unless other evidences prove otherwise,” said Morales.
The task group, however, would only make a final report after it had gathered and analyzed “all information and results of examinations,” said Sangrines.
Aside from the phone analysis, the task group was also banking on the yet-to-be-released result of the ballistic examination and paraffin test on Rebeta.
“We’re also giving the Rebeta family enough time to grieve. They promised to get in touch with us after the burial,” said Sangines.
A colleague at the DPWH Region 6 office described Rebeta as the agency’s “best engineer.”
“Kun may mabuot ka nga makita nga empleyado sang DPWH, siya na ina,” said a colleague who asked not to be identified, invoking his privacy.
He wondered at DPWH central office’s silence on Rebeta’s “mysterious” death.
The colleague said Rebeta was a “workaholic.”
All of Rebeta’s personal belongings, money (P900,046 cash) and other valuables were untouched in his room, said Morales.
“There were no signs of struggle,” he said, and because of this the task group ruled out robbery and homicide in the case.
When found, Rebeta was still holding a .45 pistol, said Morales.
A reenactment conducted by the task group showed the likelihood that Rebeta shot himself twice – first on the chest then through the mouth with the bullet exiting on his nape.
This was consistent with the findings of Dr. Owen Lebaquin, the Police Regional Office medico-legal officer who autopsied Rebeta./PN
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