Murder raps vs mayor, suspects in slay of Ilocos coop president dismissed

LAOAG CITY -- The committee of prosecutors that handles the case of slain Ilocos Norte Electric Coop. board president Lorenzo “Rey” Ruiz has dismissed murder raps filed against the alleged mastermind of the killing and her alleged accomplice due to insufficient evidence.

The family of the slain INEC official, however, questioned the ruling of the prosecutors.

Enrico Ruiz, eldest son of the slain cooperative head, said they filed a partial motion for reconsideration on the ground that prosecutors Rosemarie Ramos, Gina Chan and Robert Garcia, did not consider the testimony of vital witness Isaac Casay, who claimed that he was the one originally hired by Dingras, Ilocos Norte Mayor Marineth Gamboa to kill the INEC official.

The prosecutors based their judgment on the testimony of Robert Baoit, an alleged hired killer, who claimed that the family of Ruiz talked to witness Casay to implicate Gamboa and her alleged accomplice, INEC employee Jonathan Bagamaspad, in the case.

Enrico questioned the ruling, that was approved by provincial prosecutor Melecio Felipe, saying it is not the role of the prosecutors to determine the credibility of the witnesses, but that of the courts.

Meantime, the panel of prosecutors recognized the murder case against the three persons hired to kill Ruiz, – Saturnino Pagaling, Victor Cajudoy and Noel Aurellano, all from Badoc, Ilocos Norte.

Pagaling and Cajudoy are now under police custody, while Aurellano is still at large.

Another hired killer, Juanito Ancheta, died during the shooting incident.

Ruiz was gunned down on Sept. 4 at the INEC substation compound in Barangay Lang-ayan, Currimao,Ilocos Norte.

He was bound for re-election as Dingras’ representative to the INEC board of directors last October.

Gamboa, on the other hand, planned to field her mother, Elsie Romero, as candidate to the INEC board but the latter was disqualified from running.