BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
ILOILO City – The Regional Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit (Rcidu) has taken over the investigation of the 2013 unsolved murders of former Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO) intelligence chief, Superintendent Musa Amiyong and businessman Jimmy Punsalan.
It now has the case folders, confirmed Superintendent Peter Naboye, Rcidu regional director.
“We are reviewing the cases and evidences gathered from the crime scene,” Naboye told Panay News.
Amiyong, 58, was shot on November 28, 2013 around 8 p.m. on Quirino Lopez Bridge in Lapuz district.
Punsalan was shot inside his restaurant in Barangay Bolilao, Mandurriao district around at 9 p.m. on August 7, 2013.
“We hope these two cases will be solved,” Naboye said.
However, he did not give his men any deadline.
There were speculations that Amiyong’s case may be drug-related.
A suspect had been identified – Eliseo Mabayag, leader of a gun-for-hire group. But Mabayag was gunned down in Dumangas, Iloilo late last year for shooting at policemen who tried to serve him an arrest warrant for a different case.
The investigators’ belief that Mabayag was Amiyong’s assassin was strengthened by slugs recovered from where Mabayag was killed. It matched with the slugs recovered from the scene of Amiyong’s assassination.
However, Amiyong’s family and relatives were not convinced.
“The result of the cross matching was a strong evidence. It could help us in our investigation,” said Naboye.
Punsalan’s case, meanwhile, never had a breakthrough since the city police’s investigation started.
Two armed men entered his restaurant and shot the victim on the head, causing his immediate death.
They left aboard a Toyota Fortuner.
Aside from operating a restaurant, Punsalan also owned a construction business.
He was the president of the Philippine Constable Association – Iloilo Inc., an organization of former Philippine Constabulary members./PN
