CEBU CITY – A retired Army official who once served as regional director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) was arrested for his involvement in the killing of a lawyer in November last year here.
Retired Col. Edwin Layese acted as the supervisor in the murder of lawyer Joey Luis Wee, the National Bureau of Investigation-Central Visayas (NBI 7) said.
NBI 7 regional director Renan Oliva said Layese was also involved in the ambush of another lawyer last October.
“We arrested him in connection of the murder of Joey Wee and in the frustrated murder of James Gupana,” said Oliva in a press briefing Monday.
Gupana, 74, was wounded after he was shot by motorcycle-riding men in Barangay Pajac, Lapu-Lapu City in October 10 of last year.
Last November 23, Wee was killed by two gunmen while he was walking toward his office in Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City.
“During the investigation, we found similarities in the execution and personalities involved in the two attacks,” said Oliva.
Since the NBI 7 has yet to file charges in relation to the attack of Gupana, Oliva tacked more on the circumstances linking Layese to the killing of Wee.
According to the NBI 7, Layese is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni 1994 “Bantay Laya.”
Layese once served as PDEA regional director in Region 6 and in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
Layese is also a former security manager of the Cebu Holdings Inc. and Cebu Property Ventures and Development Corp.
Oliva said Layese and his cohorts “are people who make a living by killing people.”
“We have documentary, electronic and testimonial evidence to show that Edwin Layese was involved not just a participant but a supervisor in the killing of Wee,” said Oliva.
As the supervisor, Layese was the one who was hired to do the planning and execution of the killing, Oliva said.
The former Army official was also the one who hired the gunmen involved in the attack.
Oliva revealed that the ex-military man, who was arrested last December 8 in Laguna province, also identified Layese as the one who hired them to kill Wee.
Fausto Edgar Peralta has executed an extra judicial confession linking Layese to the crime, Oliva said.
Without divulging the exact amount, Oliva said Peralta confessed that they were paid with a six-digit amount to kill Wee.
Oliva said the NBI 7 has evidence to prove that Layese met Peralta after Wee was killed to give the remaining balance as payment for carrying out the crime.
“Even before Peralta’s confession, we already have evidence showing Layese’s involvement in the crime. Peralta’s confession only strengthened the result of our investigation that Layese was involved in the crime,” said Oliva.
Oliva said there were CCTV footages showing Layese was with the gunmen before and after the killing of Wee.
Layese was arrested last January 12 while he was about to board a pick-up truck on Fuente Osmeña in uptown Cebu City.
Oliva said the pick-up truck owned by Layese was the subject of a search warrant after the same vehicle was spotted in the area where Wee was killed.
Layese will be facing an additional charge after a .45-caliber pistol with an expired license and registered to a different person was recovered in the pick-up truck, Oliva said.
Oliva said Layese and Peralta are two of the six persons that the NBI 7 agents pursued as suspects in the killing of Wee.
“Two down, two are identified and the other two were identified through their first names only,” said Oliva.
Oliva said it took time before the NBI 7 was able to arrest Layese due to the number of personalities involved in the crime.
Layese also had residences in Bantayan town, Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and in southern part of Cebu that made him difficult to track down, Oliva said.
Oliva said investigation was ongoing to identify the mastermind behind the killing.
The motive behind the killing had something to do with Wee’s job.
“It is case related. That’s all we can say for now,” said Oliva. (Calvin D. Cordova)
