by Miriam G. Desacada
Incumbent Mayor Remedio Veloso of San Isidro, Leyte and three of his relatives, one of them a police officer, are now facing a murder complaint for the killing of Levi “Bambam” Mabini, during a shooting incident at Barangay Capinahan in San Isidro, Leyte on 8th of May 2019, or nearly four years ago today.
The murder complaint was filed on Tuesday (March 21) by CIDG agents—on-case investigator P/Cpl Mike Yahewil Palma and CIDG assistant chief of investigation P/Capt. Liberato Yorpo—at the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor in Calubian, Leyte.
Bambam was the municipal administrator of San Isidro at the time he was gunned down allegedly by two yet unidentified gunmen who were hired assassins, according to testimonies, via judicial affidavits, of three witnesses.
Based on CIDG’s investigation on the day of the killing, testimonies of the three witnesses, and documentary evidences, the murder complaint was filed against four suspects, namely: incumbent Mayor Remedio Balmoria Veloso, alias Bebot, and his relatives, businessman Emmanuel Valmoria Veloso, alias Wing-wing; LGU employee Cayetano Balmoria Dagandan III, alias Tanny; and police officer Manuelito Balmoria Sidaya, alias Opaw.
The four respondents allegedly planned and executed the killing of Bamban by hiring the two hitmen, who were mentioned in the affidavits of the three alleged witnesses—who are also relatives of the respondents—Edgar Veloso dela Rosa, Zello Mariblanca Veloso, and Jed Canas Granados, all residents of San Isidro, Leyte.
The witnesses however did not specify the names of the hitmen, but yet named in the complaint as John Does, one of who they described as dark-complexioned and short in height, and the other as fair-skinned.
The witnesses, in their affidavits, narrated how they came to know the plot to kill Bambam days before the May 13 national and local elections in 2019.
For one, Zello Veloso said he overheard his uncle Wing-wing allegedly plotted with Bebot to kill Bambam, the campaign manager of then re-electionist mayor Susan Ang, to ensure Bebot’s victory in the mayoralty race.
Zello said he also heard that Wing-wing agreed to Bebot’s proposal to ask Opaw to look for gunmen who will carry out the assassination.
Edgar dela Rosa, for his part, alleged that, while he had dinner on May 6 at the resort-house of Wing-wing, the uncle-in-law of his cousin Jed, he was introduced to the fair-complexioned man. He said that, days after, he saw this man allegedly shot Bambam in the morning of May 8 at the gasoline station, which was owned by mayor Ang. He further said that the gunman later rode in the getaway vehicle allegedly driven by Tanny.
Jed, in his own affidavit, alleged that, in the afternoon of May 8, he drove his car upon instruction of his uncle-in-law to bring the dark-complexioned gunman, to the ancestral house of Bebot and Wing-wing for dinner there. He said he knew the gunman because the latter was introduced to him days before Bamban was gunned down.
So far, there’s nothing definite yet on the matter, as the complaint will still undergo preliminary investigation at the prosecutor’s office to determine if it is warranted to pursue the case in court. —-Miriam G. Desacada