Cops eye politics in Cagayan judge's slay

BY Armand Tamaray

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya– Investigators were still clueless on last Tuesday’s killing of Cagayan Regional Trial Court Judge Andres Cipriano who was shot dead near his hotel room in Aparri town.

Senior Supt. Albertlito Garcia, intelligence officer of the regional police, said the investigation was still ongoing.

“There are no identified suspects yet. We are considering all possible angles, including looking into the cases being decided by the judge since this may have some connection with the killing,” Garcia said.

Cipriano, 59, sustained two gunshot wounds in the nape from a 9-mm pistol.

Judge Cipriano, a 59 year old local, according to police reports, was followed by armed men as he left his office.

The incident happened at the Saint Patrick Hotel, Macanaya, where one of the men shot the judge dead.

According to police reports, the victim died from two gunshot wounds from a 9-mm pistol at the back of his neck.

The shots immediately killed the victim, who was found dead just outside the door of his room. Witnesses claim that the suspects were riding a motorcycle, which had been following the victim.

But another report claimed that the suspects arrived earlier than the victim, and waited outside the hotel for Cipriano to arrive. The police are still investigating as to how many suspects were present in the crime scene.

According to Sen. Superintendent Alberlito Garcia, Chief of the Regional Police in Tuguegarao city, one of the suspects followed the Cipriano until he reached his room.

As he was about to enter, the man brought out his gun, and shot him twice before leaving the scene. They then fled the area before the police arrived.
The police are still investigating on the possible motive for the killing. They are unsure if the case was related to politics, or if it was a personal motive.

The police strongly suspect that the killing was related to a case Cipriano might have handled, whereas the court’s decision might have been the undoing of an affected party.

This was strengthened by the fact that the victim handled a controversial case involving a number of politicians in the area.

The police also investigated any outside transactions that were made by Cipriano, tailing out any documents or files that may have contained a death threat.

The judge’s slay came as authorities have yet to arrest the killers of Dr. Rosefina Abad-Serrano, associate dean of the Cagayan State University’s College of Arts and Sciences, in Aparri’s neighboring town of Buguey barely a month before the May 10 elections.

Serrano, 43, daughter of Mayor Rosendo Abad of Gonzaga town, was shot while aboard a passenger van on her way to her hometown.