Police eye three more ‘persons of interest’ in Rotoras case

By LITO RULONA
and NITZ ARANCON
Correspondents

AUTHORITIES are looking for at least three more “persons of interest” as they continued to dig into the Dec. 2, 2017 shooting death of Dr. Ricardo Rotoras, president of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.

Chief Insp. Mardy Hortilloza, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, said the three could provide the key to the mystery surrounding the murder case.

Hortilloza said the “persons of interest” are believed to be involved in a construction project  in the USTP campus, and investigators were suspecting that “kini sila maoy nakabikil ni Rotoras during his term of office.”

Hortilloza said investigators were also looking for a woman whom they believed witnessed the gun attack on Dr. Rotoras outside his house.

At a news conference, Hortilloza  showed reporters a facial composite of the potential witness and requested that copies be disseminated in the hope that concerned citizens would provide the police information about her whereabouts.

“Kini ra gyud siya ang maka sulti nato kon kinsa tong mga suspect. Mao nga kon kinsa man tong naka-ila ani niya, maghangyo mi nga matultolan mi asa kini nagpoyo siya aron atong mapangutana,” Hortilloza said.

(Editor’s note: This paper will not publish the facial composite despite the police’s request because that would put the potential witness’ life in danger.)

According to Hortilloza, the facial composite was based on the description of another person who supposedly saw the witness.

Hortilloza said informant came forward and then went to the police’s crime laboratory to describe the potential witness.