Vice Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda and Chief Insp. Michael Masangkay, Lubao chief of police, were still holding a press conference at the Lubao Municipal Hall as of press time presenting the suspect identifi ed as Ronel Canilao,22, a resident of Sitio Mabuhay in the same village. The suspect was reportedly drunk when he committed the heinous crime.
According to Masangkay, they got a lead on Canilao and followed it up until they got to Cavite and then to Baclaran. But when the suspect sensed that he was being followed, Masangkay said he went back to Pampanga and was fi nally nabbed in Floridablanca town.
Masangkay said Canilao admitted to the crime and that he used to take illegal drugs but he stopped. Masangkay said they are now in possession of a watch that belonged to the victim and Canilao has agreed to tell the police where he kept the victim’s cellphone and ipad tablet.
It was supposed to be the 10th birthday celebration of Dwayne Joss Garcia until tragedy struck even before he could wake up on Wednesday leaving him brutally murdered with a slit in his throat and his mother Jenny, 41, sprawled next to him with several stab wounds in their own bedroom, apparently a victim of rape.
On Wednesday, Pineda, who was attending the anti-illegal drugs summit here, rushed to Lubao as soon as he got wind of the news.
According to a police report, one Jose Pineda y Roncal, a resident of the same barangay, informed the police upon the discovery of the bodies of the victims.
Initial police investigation said the gruesome murder was committed between 9:35 p.m. and 7 a.m. The mother’s body was found without lower garments while her cellphone and ipad tablet were missing, according to police.
However, other valuable items and jewelry are still intact, the police said.
Pineda said the victim was a teacher at the San Jose Gumi Elementary School while her father is a former barangay captain during his time as town mayor and was even one of his leaders. Her mother was a retired district supervisor of the Department of Education and was recently deceased.
Reports said Jenny was estranged from her husband, the father of their son, who is working in Saudi. But she has a present boyfriend who is working in Korea.
Meanwhile, Pineda said they are still con- fi rming if the suspect was a drug surrenderee.
“Karen pung kabalen ku eko pu migaganaka rare case ya pu ini pero kailangan tang dinan solusyun (to my townmates do not worry this is a rare case but we need to solve this immediately),” the vice governor said.
San Jose Gumi is a peaceful coastal barangay in Lubao, he said.
