Sorsogon City - Police have identified a suspect in the killing of Willie Jerus, a member of the Samahan ng mga Magsasaka ng Sorsogon and the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, who was shot dead early morning Monday in Brgy. San Juan-Roro here.

        But Supt. Formoso Argarin, city chief of police, withheld the name of the suspect pending the filing of the appropriate case in court saying it might alert the assailant.

        Argarin said in an interview with Bicol Mail that the suspect was named by another witness who approached the police and volunteered the information.

        He said they were now working to get the sworn statement of the witness together with the statements of other witnesses who have witnessed the killing beside the Sorsogon City Hall.

        Argarin said he expects to be able to file a case within the week.

        At the same time, Argarin said they now have also established the identity of the owner of the plate number which was seen on the motorcycle used by the suspect in killing Jerus.

        Argarin said that based on records of the Land Transportation Office the plate number EM 5718 was issued to a silver Mitsuko motorcycle. It was learned from another source that the motorcycle is owned by a certain Randy Ogad of Daet, Camarines Norte.

        Ogad was now being summoned by the police to shed light on how the plate number of his motorcycle ended up in another vehicle, Argarin said.

        The plate number was also used in another motorcycle which figured in a separate pistol-whipping incident last week.

        Argarin also revealed that the police is not treating the killing of Jerus as another case of political killing since the wife of the victim had executed an affidavit denying that he was a member of any militant organization in the province contrary to the claims of some groups.

        But the wife, Edelyn, told Bicol Mail that what she signed was a statement prepared by the police which said that Willie was not a member of any leftist organization and the party list group Anakpawis, which indeed he was not.

        She argued that her husband used to be a member of Samasor but had been inactive for quite sometime now following the series of killings of members of militant organizations.

        Edelyn urged the police to be fair in the investigation of the case and asked that her husband be given justice.

        Jerus also left behind two sons aged nine and seven years old.

        Various progressive groups in the province were set to hold a “Parangal para kay Willie” to give honor to the victim.

        Aside from Samasor and Anakpawis, Jerus was also a staff of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, community organizer of Children Rehabilitation Center and a member of Bayan Muna partylist group.