Baptist bishop faces case for murder of Mister Cagayan de Oro bet

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Prosecutors have subpoenaed a Baptist bishop linked to the murder of a candidate in the search for Mister Cagayan de Oro early this year.

Regional State Prosecutor Merlynn Barola Uy confirmed on Wednesday, September 6, that a murder complaint had been filed against Lapasan Baptist Church Bishop Dimver Andales and four others.

Prosecutors have given Andales 10 days to respond to allegations that he was involved in the May 9 shooting death of Mister Cagayan de Oro 2023 candidate Adriane Rovic Fornillos, after months of case build-up work by the police.

A gunman shot the 24-year-old Fornillos at close range while he was riding his motorcycle in Barangay Nazareth, Cagayan de Oro, on the evening of May 9. The victim was rushed to the state-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) where he subsequently died.

Andales, an influential preacher closely associated with local politicians, stands accused of masterminding Fornillos’ murder, allegedly due to a love triangle.

Neither prosecutors nor the Fornillos family’s lawyer disclosed details of the case, but Uy said “the police did good” with their investigation into the murder.

“The complaint would show that [Andales] has direct participation,” Dale Bryan Mordeno, the Fornillos family’s lawyer, told Rappler.

Mordeno had earlier informed reporters that two of the respondents were found to have associations with the Baptist bishop.

Andales’ lawyer, Rhobert Maestre, informed local broadcaster Magnum Radio that they were preparing to submit a counter-affidavit to show the supposed flaws in the complaint.

Maestre also said he was saddened because his client had been subjected to weeks of “trial by publicity” on social media and scandalized by allegations that the murder was a result of jealousy and marital infidelity.

“We really want the killer to be brought to justice, but it would be an injustice to charge the innocent,” Maestre said. – Lito Rulona/Rappler.com