Authorities are now looking into the involvement of the New People's Army in the killing of former University of Eastern Philippines president Rolando Delorino inside his house in Catarman, Northern Samar.
Former University of Eastern Philippines President Rolando Delorino was stabbed to death inside his residence in Catarman, Northern Samar Sunday (June 13).
Police said Delorino, 64, was found dead by his daughter near the kitchen door on the ground floor of their residence in Barangay Dalakit Sunday morning.
The suspect, identified as Alvin Plandez, 22 years old, was later arrested in a follow-up operation following a review of CCTV cameras installed in the area.
Authorities are now looking into Plandez's claims that a commander of the communist rebel group New People's Army (NPA) forced him to commit the crime.
The suspect claimed that the commander, identified only as "Commander Pili," threatened to kill his family if he will not kill Delorino.
Police also discovered that Plandez had been released from jail this April after being charged with attempted homicide back in 2019.
Delorino served as president of the UEP, one of the largest state universities in Eastern Visayas, from 2016 to 2019.
Current UEP president Cherry Ultra said she considered Delorino as a leader who espoused a vision of change, which served as his “legacy and imprints in the aesthetics of UEP history”.
“We are one with the academic community in seeking justice for the former President Delorino who formerly stood as a patriarch of the UEP in the previous years. We will remain vigilant and we will stand with the bereaved family to bring this case to justice,” Ultra said.
(JKA)
Tags: #OpinYon8, #CatarmanNorthernSamar, #murder, #UniversityofEasternPhilippines