ODICTA LAWYER GUNNED DOWN

POLICE officers and bystanders load the body of lawyer Edeljulio Romero who was gunned down at the Culasi port in Roxas City Friday afternoon. Romero used to be the legal counsel of slain suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta. (Photo from dyVR RMN-Roxas)

HE WENT away in almost similar fashion his former boss did.

Lawyer Edeljulio Romero is dead.

Romero, who became prominent after defending alleged slain drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr and other suspected drug personalities, was gunned down while having lunch at a cafeteria in Barangay Culasi, Roxas City, Capiz, around 12:40 p.m. of Sept 28, 2018.

Just like Odicta, the lawyer was also killed near a seaport terminal.

Still unidentified assassins killed Odicta and his wife, Meriam, as they disembarked at Caticlan Jetty Port in Malay, Aklan on Aug 29, 2016.

Romero, 50, of Barangay South San Jose, Molo, Iloilo City, was also with his common-law wife, Iris Tan, when the incident happened.

But Tan was on the other side of the road to buy their boat tickets booth when Romero was killed.

Several witnesses who saw the shooting said the gunman calmly shot Romero at close range.

“Basta gin-palapitan lang s’ya kag gintiro,” a teenager said. (The gunman just went near and shot him immediately.)

An elderly woman even indulged Romero in a short conversation before he was killed.

“Basta ang ulihi n’ya nga hambal nga kung siya ya kuno wala kwarta, mas nagakadlaw pa s’ya ya,” the woman said. (The last words I heard from him was he will laugh more even if he has no money.)

The couple arrived at the roadside cafeteria on board a tricycle.

The woman claimed that Romero took off what appeared to be a bulletproof vest then wore a jacket.

As he was eating, the gunman alighted from a vehicle and hid at parked tricycles before going near the victim.

The assassins then poked a handgun on the back of Romero’s head and pumped several bullets.

The gunman was with two other men, possibly as lookouts, who wore white shirts.

The gunman, witnesses claimed, was wearing a blue shirt and a grey pair of shorts.

The woman-witness said the killer was small built.

They then boarded a waiting gray Asian Utility Vehicle with no license plate.

Supt. Dante Tayco, Roxas City police chief, identified the suspects’ getaway vehicle as a gray Nissan AUV.

The witness said she managed to look at the killer and even told him: “Ngaman ‘doy gintiro man ni nimo ang tawo.” (Why did you shoot this man?)

A motorcycle rider, who was allegedly a member of the Maritime police, even chased the fleeing suspects but he could keep up with them.

Romero was brought to Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.

He succumbed to a gunshot wound on the back of his head.

It was learned that Romero and Tan were on their way to Manila via passenger ship when the incident happened.

Romero was in Roxas City to attend the court hearing of his client, Stephen Teves of Panay town, on Sept. 27. Teves is also facing a drug-related case.

PNP STATEMENT

The Police Regional Office (PRO)-6 issued a statement right after Romero’s death.

Supt. John Bulalacao, PRO-6 chief, confirmed Romero’s killing which was allegedly committed by three unidentified suspects “who are now the subject of a hot pursuit operation by our local police force.”

“We are already conducting investigation on this incident to identify and arrest those responsible,” he added.

Bulalacao also confirmed that Romero was considered a high value target (HVT) Level 3 drug personality because of his links to Odicta.

“We enjoin possible eyewitness to share information that may help in the ongoing investigation.

We assure the victim’s family that a thorough investigation is underway to arrest those responsible,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tayco said they would be gathering footages from closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras to aid in their investigation.

CAREER

Romero disappeared from the public eye after the deaths of the Odicta couple.

He was reportedly staying in Manila while other reports indicated that he was in Palawan.

On Oct. 4, 2016, members of Molo Police Station conducted Oplan Katok at his house in Molo, Iloilo City.

He then turned over an M16 armalite rifle with 277 ammunitions and a caliber .45 IMBEL pistol with 28 ammunitions.

He also turned over Tan’s caliber .9mm (Taurus) pistol.

On January 2011, a grenade was also lobbed at Romero’s house. He initially thought it was just a pillbox but it turned to be an M203 grenade launcher.

The blast damaged the rear portion of his car and also punched a hole at a portion of his garage.

At that time, Romero said the suspects just wanted to threaten him.

He saw no other angle behind the incident other than work-related.

Romero tried his luck in politics and ran for city councilor in 2010 but lost.

SOURCE: The Daily Guardian

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