Suspects in village chief’s shooting face criminal raps
A criminal charge for frustrated murder was already slapped against the alleged gunmen who shot Brgy. Capt. Noel Panes Wednesday.
Charged before the Iloilo City Prosecutors’ Office were Ryan Depedran, 20, of Brgy. Ingore, La Paz and Abmar Geguera of New Site, Brgy. Ingore, La Paz.
Depedran is now behind bars at La Paz Police Station after he voluntarily yielded to Brgy. Capt. Ernie Porral of Ingore, La Paz, while Geguera remains at large, as of press time.
In filing the case, police used the sworn statement of Mary Grace Geguera, wife of one of the suspects.
In her affidavit, she claimed that she was on her way home when Panes passed by on board a motorcycle.
Panes allegedly offered to bring her home and that’s what her husband saw before the shooting incident.
It can be recalled that Panes, 47, village chief of Tabuc Suba, La Paz district, was on his way home on board a motorcycle when two suspects shot him at Brgy. Ingore, La Paz district around 1:00 in the morning of Wednesday.
The victim suffered two gunshot wounds on the stomach.
Security guards of the nearby Panay Power Corporation brought him to the hospital.
But barely two days after the incident, Depedran surrendered to authorities and denied any hand in the shooting incident,
He claimed that he was on his way home from a community dance when he met Geguera.
The suspect allegedly asked to accompany him in looking for someone.
First, they allegedly looked at Brgy. New Site but when Geguera did not find the person he was looking for, they went to Sitio Bantud in Brgy. Ingore, La Paz.
“Ato didto gali ang asawa niya. Upod si Kap (Panes),” he narrated.
After he saw his wife with Panes, Geguera allegedly shot the village chief.
Immediately after, Depedran claimed that he went home and hid because of fear.
But he stressed that had he known Geguera’s plan, he would not have accompanied him.
As this developed, Panes remains at the intensive care unit of the West Visayas State University Medical Center.
His sister, Dyna, meanwhile, asked for financial help for Panes’ medical bills.
She also appealed to the public to end insinuations about his brother’s relationship with the suspect’s wife.
As a barangay captain, Dyna alleged that her brother is just close with the people in the area.
But even earlier, police investigators ruled that the attempt on Pane’s life was a “crime of passion.”
“It appears from our investigation that the motive is love triangle,” Insp. Marius Amar, deputy chief of La Paz Police Station, said explaining that Panes has a lover, who is also married.
Panes’ wife presently works abroad.
