MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra vowed to speed up the resolution of the case of a man, who was shot dead in front of the house of a mayor in Cebu province.
In a statement Saturday, Guevarra made the assurance after being approached by Josefina Delima, the mother of Gilbert Delima who was killed in the town of Santa Fe, Bantayan Island, Cebu on May 7, 2016.
“Ginagawa po namin an gaming makakaya upang ang nasabing kaso ay malutas sa lalong madaling panahon (We are doing everything we could to ensure the speedy resolution of the case),” Guevarra said.
Guevarra said that the victim’s mother fears for the safety of her family – including the two children left behind by her son – since she is just a plain housewife and her husband is a pedicab driver in Toledo, Cebu.
Gilbert was the former employee of the family of Santa Fe Mayor Jose Esgana.
The victim was allegedly killed by the mayor’s brother-in-law, Pablo Paul Escarlan, and the mayor’s son, Joanes Paulo Esgana, at the mayor’s house.
A witness said he saw Escarlan repeatedly shooting Gilbert at close range while Joanes stood by.
The murder case is currently under review by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
On Dec. 7, 2016, the Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office downgraded the charges against Escarlan from murder to homicide and dismissed the murder complaint against the younger Esgana as an accomplice for lack of probable cause. (Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)
