Charged before the City Prosecutor’s Office under information sheet 16-G-00958 dated July 13, 2016 filed by a certain Gina de la Cruz, partner of victim Christopher Libunao, 54, was Eduardo Jose Joson VII, resident of Del Pilar St. this city who got the highest vote among the sangguniang panlungsod winners in the May 9 elections.
In her complaint, De la Cruz identified Joson as the one who supposedly fired a gun at Libunao a few meters away from her at about 5:40 p.m. on July 10, 2016.
She, however, only realized it was Joson after being presented pictures of possible suspects, that included Joson and his associates, on July 13.
Joson, 34, however, vehemently denied the allegations saying he was sick and inside his house when the incident occurred. He said he only learned about the incident from some people who were talking about it.
De la Cruz alleged his partner got irritated at a silver gray Innova parked in front of their gate on Block 21, Lot 1, AGL Heights, Barangay Caalibangbangan here at around 5 p.m.
“Kanino bang sasakyan ito? Pakitanggal nyo nga dito. Para kayong makahari,” De la Cruz quoted the victim as shouting which, she said, was answered by an unidentified person: “Sandali lang”.
The van, she said, was driven away by “unidentified men” after 30 minutes.
“I then noticed respondent Joson and a certain Marcelino “Tatang” Ferry talking outside a neighbor’s house,” De la Cruz said in the affidavit. She alleged she then saw Joson “walking toward our house” until he (Joson) allegedly punched Libunao successively.
Joson, she added, then dragged Libunao out of his house and allegedly pointed a gun on his head.
Dela Cruz said she begged for mercy but to no avail.
Libunao was rushed to Premiere Medical Center here but was declared dead on arrival due to gunshot wounds in the head and chest.
Police reported that Libunao “was shot with the use of short firearm by an unidentified male person as a result of a heated parking altercation.”
Cleofe Lubunao, the victim’s sister, said De la Cruz indeed failed to immediately name Joson during initial investigation but was able to come up with description that fit Joson.
Joson, meanwhile, said he could not even think of killing or ordering to kill a person owing to his ow experience as a son whose father died in an ambush.
“Unang una po ako’y nasaktan dahil ako naman po ay inosente,” Joson said. “Hindi ko kayang pumatay o magpapatay. Walong taon pa lang po ako, namatayan po ako ng aking ama dahil sa karahasan kaya po ako never po na sumang-ayon sa violence kasi po alam ko po yung hirap ng mawalan po ng ama,” Joson said.
His father, Eduardo ‘Danding’ Joson then vice mayor of this city, was killed in an ambush in 1990.
Joson, 34, who is popular in this city as a regular basketball team player, said he never maintained security escorts.
"Ako po, kaya ko pong tumingin sa mata mismo ng buong pamilya Libunao na ako po ay wala kinalaman. Kahit po yung witness, kaya ko pong tumingin sa mata niya (at) sabihin po na ako ay walang kinalaman sa pangyayari,” he said.
As this developed, the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption expressed support to the victim’s family.
