Inmate who ‘threatened’ IMEG-7 chief isolated

CEBU, Philippines — The inmate accused of sending death threats to the police integrity official handling the Nepumoceno case has been separated from the rest of the inmates.

Cebu City Jail warden Superintendent Jose Abueva said that Integrity Monitoring and Enhancement Group Visayas Field Unit (IMEG-VFU) chief Police Major Alejandro Batobalonos has personally coordinated with him upon receiving threats allegedly from an inmate.

Nepumoceno allegedly had a former live-in partner who is an inmate at the city jail.

Nepumoceno, 35, was the woman who went to the IMEG-7 to file rape and extortion complaint against the Sawang Calero cops. She was gunned down by unidentified men in Basak, Cebu City on April 19.

Aside from a love triangle motive, the police are also looking into illegal drug involvement as the reason behind Nepumoceno’s murder.

After the killing, Batobalonos claimed having received death threats that were posted on social media and received through a phone call.

Upon verification, Abueva said they have a person deprived of liberty (PDL) with the same name as the person Batobalonos has identified to have threatened him.

On why the concerned inmate was using a cellular phone, Abueva said they already conducted a greyhound inside his cell.

“Na-greyhound na na namo iyang selda. Dugay-dugay na, ikaduha gani namo na gi-greyhound kay niingon na man pud na si Major Batobalonos nga ga-sige ra gihapon (threats),” said Abueva.

During the greyhound, authorities confiscated a keypad cellphone from the inmate’s cell. But Abueva said they are not certain if this phone belonged to the inmate.

According to Abueva, the mentioned inmate was just an “ordinary PDL” inside the jail who was known to have been actively participating religious activities.

“Basta ang iyahang mga activities inside diri sa facility mao na ni siyay tig duyog sa naay mga religious activity,” said Abueva.

Abueva further said that they have already taken an action after Batobalonos' complaint, and have since separated the inmate from the others.

Abueva also said that the inmate admitted that Nepomuceno visited him once last 2019. However, he denied that they were live-in-partners.

“Amo gyud na siya giaksyunan. In fact, nasalang na na siya sa disciplinary board unya ang decision sa disciplinary board kay i-segregate siya para dili na siya makabuhat sa iyang alleged nga complaint nga sige siya og threat ni Major,” he said. — JMD (FREEMAN)