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PERSONNEL of a funeral parlor move the body of foundation official Epi Ramos from the premises of Eon Centennial Plaza Hotel. (FAA)
Foundation officer stabbed to death inside room
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
WHAT drove two unidentified suspects to stab to death a foundation officer inside a hotel in downtown Iloilo Tuesday?
The stab-riddled body of Epi Ramos, of Magallon Street, Cabatuan, Iloilo, was found in Room 404 of Eon Centennial Plaza Hotel on Jalandoni Street, Iloilo City proper.
Ramos is the chief executive officer of the Field Epidemiology Training Program Alumni Foundation Inc., a partner organization of the Department of Health (DOH).
Edmund Valencia, Centennial general manager, said their housekeeping staff at first noticed water coming out of Ramos’ room.
Valencia said Ramos checked in the hotel January 24 to attend a seminar sponsored by his foundation.
Fellow workers of Ramos also wondered why the victim failed to get out of his room to attend their seminar that morning.
Valencia said they tried to call and knock on Ramos’ room to ask if he left the water faucet open but he did not respond. The management later decided to open the room to check on their resident.
The hotel staff found the lifeless Ramos on the bathroom floor.
Police investigators said Ramos’ room was in disarray, an indication that the suspects may have rummaged through his personal belongings.
The victim’s laptop computer was missing but the police have yet to come up with the final inventory.
Scene of the crime operatives said Ramos succumbed to more or less 20 stab wounds mostly in his chest.
Supt. Eugenio Espejo, Iloilo City Police Office officer-in-charge, said Ramos last entered his room with two male companions 8:30pm Monday.
Espejo said Ramos introduced his companions to the hotel guard as his visitors. The victim’s nephew who also works as his driver also entered his hotel room but later left after a short conversation.
“We are looking at two to three suspects in the case. Our investigators are looking at robbery as the motive,” Espejo added.
Atty. Plaridel Nava, Centennial Hotel legal counsel, said Ramos knew the suspects reason why he allowed them inside his room.
Valencia said they only allow visitors to enter the guest rooms until 10pm. Visitors are also required to indentify themselves at the front desk for security purposes.
Valencia said they will cooperate with the police for the speedy resolution of Ramos’ case.
“This is the first time that an incident like this happened in our hotel. But it’s still business as usual for us. The management will cooperate with the authorities,” Valencia said.
By Francis Allan L. Angelo
AN Ilonggo who allegedly masterminded the so-called “text scam” was arrested in Cavite province the other day through the efforts of one of his victims.
Gilbert Tuliba, a native of Tigbauan, Iloilo fell in the hands of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents for an estafa charge.
A certain Olive, one of Tuliba’s victims, worked on his arrest with assistance from SPO2 Ramon Oblemar of the Regional Intelligence Office (RIO-6) and the NBI.
In an interview with Aksyon Radyo-Iloilo, Olive said Tuliba owes here more or less P700,000 worth of groceries. When she tried collecting his debt, the suspect suddenly disappeared.
Olive was able to trace Tuliba after she enticed him to get more items from her grocery on credit.
The complainant claimed she later found a logbook in Tuliba’s old apartment containing the names of his victims in the text scam racket.
Under the fraudulent scheme, a text message is sent to the victims informing them that they won a car or money via electronic raffle. The prize can only be claimed if the “winner” deposits P5,000 in the message sender’s bank account.
Olive said Tuliba, who uses numerous aliases and addresses, may have raked in some P4 million because of the scam.
Police records show that Tuliba has a string of swindling cases in Dingle, Tigbauan, Janiuay and Passi City. His brushes with the law started when he was only 12 years old.
scrimgeour
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