Four names surface in lawyer’s ambush

THE real estate agent who was with Cebuano lawyer Rex Fernandez at the time of his ambush has been taken off the suspect list, but in her place, are four officials of a condominium development who are now considered “persons of interest” by police.

Lt. Col. Wilbert Parilla, Cebu City Police Office (CCPO) deputy city director for operations, identified the four new persons of interest as Beverly Dayanan, Deryl Vargas, Fabian Abalos and Joji Tajanlangit.

All are reportedly officials of Bamboo Bay Condominium whom Fernandez named in a Facebook post prior to his death as to be blamed should he die.

Bamboo Bay management issued on Aug. 29, 2021 a statement denouncing insinuations of being involved in the death of Fernandez.

“Ang mga tawo-tawo sa kahumayan nagpasiatab karon nga pildi ko kay ni undang ko sa akong #hungerstrike. Gusto gyud diay sila mopatay nako. Busa Kung mamatay ko, akong isugilon diri nga ang nagpatay nako mao sila si BEVERLY DAYANAN, ENGR. DERYL VARGAS, FABIAN ABALOS, JOJI TAJANLANGIT, nga nanungo sa akong kamatayon,” Fernandez said in a post dated Aug. 19, 2021.

The lawyer was referring to a hunger strike that he started on August 13, after the management of the condominium allegedly cut off his water supply despite an injunction issued by the court. He later ended the hunger strike due to doctors’ advice.

Parilla said the four condominium officials will be investigated regarding Fernandez’s Facebook post that named them.

“We will call on them to get their statements but to be clear, for everyone’s information, a person of interest is not necessarily a suspect. The person could either help solve the case or could also be a suspect,” Parilla said in Cebuano.

As for Rosinda Acot, the real estate agent who sat in the backseat of Fernandez’s car at the time of his ambush, Parilla said she was no longer considered a person of interest after she told the special investigation task group (SITG) of her intention to cooperate in their probe.

Fernandez was gunned down at the corner of Duterte Street and Good Shepherd Road in Sitio Banawa, Barangay Guadalupe on Thursday, Aug. 26, 2021 while aboard his car with his driver and Acot.

A video showed Acot leaving Fernandez’s car after the ambush with the lawyer’s personal belongings including his mobile phone.

Days later, she turned herself in at the CCPO headquarters to explain that she had feared for her life.

She also turned over to the CCPO Fernandez’s belongings which, she said, she had only wanted to protect from the crowd that had gathered around the slain lawyer’s car.

Acot told investigators Fernandez was a client who bought from her a unit of the Apple One condominium.

Parilla said police investigators now know where Fernandez was heading to when he was gunned down.

No other details were released by police pending investigation.