Probers identify Cabingas’ killer

By NITZ ARANCON
with LITO RULONA
Correspondents

AUTHORITIES have identified a suspect in the Dec. 30 shooting death of Roads and Traffic Administration (RTA) operation chief Cris Cabingas, Councilor Romeo Caliso disclosed yesterday.

This came even as the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) stepped in so as to help the city police in cracking the murder case that made the city pause before New Year’s Eve.

Caliso, chairman of the city council’s committee on police, fire and public Safety and concurrent co-chairman of Task Force Cabingas, said the information about the suspect was revealed by city police director Senior Supt. Ronnie Francis Cariaga when the Task Force met yesterday.

Caliso said the Task Force has the name of the suspect, and authorities even know how he looks like.

But Caliso declined to give a name so as not to jeopardize ongoing law enforcement operations.

He said investigators were also able to establish that the Dec. 30 killing of Cabingas was workelated.

Caliso said Cabingas had figured in a spat as a result of the enforcement of traffic rules around Cogon market.

“Sa wala ma mahitabo ang pagpusil   sa biktima, na-ay da-an  iyang  gikalalis  tungod sa ilang  pag-implement sa traffic rules sa merkado,” Caliso said.

He said investigators have gathered pieces of evidence, and witnesses have come forward. These, he said, were enough to build a case against Cabingas’s killer.

“Matud sa atong mga  witnesses, gitawag pa da-an sa suspect ang ngalan ni Cabingas ayha siya gipusil,” he said.

Cabingas was shot while he was managing the vehicular traffic flow at the Cogon area at around 6 pm on Friday. Investigators said the victim the triggerman attacked from behind, and Cabingas subsequently succumbed to three gunshot wounds in the back.

He was rushed to the Maria Reyna Hospital where he died the following morning.

Caliso said the killing was alarming in that there are threats to attack other traffic law enforcers after Cabingas.

The killing prompted Mayor Oscar Moreno to issue Executive Order no. 168-16, creating Task Force Cabingas headed by Senior Supt. Cariaga in order to formulate measures and strategies that would ensure effective coordination and collaboration among law enforcers so that the perpetrator/s are identified, arrested and prosecuted.

Cariaga said the NBI and CIDG were helping the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office (Cocpo).

“We will not give the full details of the operation. Mapasalig nako nga hayag-hayag naman ang investigation og duna na kami’y gikasabutan,” said Cariaga.

He assured RTA overseer and Task Force Hapsay chairman Jose Edgardo Uy that the police would provide security to the RTA during its clearing operations around Cogon and other market areas.

Cariaga said he was optimistic that a complaint would be filed with the City Prosecutor’s Office anytime soon.

“In my level, we almost completed the investigation for case filing,” he said.

Cariaga said the Task Force Cabingas has also initially sent recommendations to city hall and the RTA on the execution of road clearing operations.