Police confirm Fr. Ventura's supposed illicit affairs part of probe

Police on Monday confirmed that the supposed illicit affairs of Father Mark Anthony Ventura are only among the angles being looked into in the priest's killing last month.

Chief Superintendent Jose Mario Espino, director of Cagayan Valley Police Regional Office, told Dobol B sa News TV that the supposed illicit affairs of the priest with at least eight women are based on information gathered by the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) formed by the Philippine National Police to investigate the priest's death.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday presented a matrix titled Possible Motive (Love Triangle) in his speech during the fiesta celebration of Tabongon town in Cebu.

Duterte said that the matrix shows that a priest named "Fr. Mark Anthony" could have been killed because of the suspected illicit affairs.

The matrix showed that the priest had illicit affairs with at least eight women.

Duterte said among the women in the matrix are married to a vice mayor, a policeman, a soldier, and a businessman.

Ventura was killed late April after officiating a Mass at the town gymnasium of Gattaran in Cagayan province.

"'Yan pong mga ganyan, part po ng imbestigasyon. 'Yan din po ang nakukuha naming information sa baba, so may ganon pong anggulo na 'yun po ang tinitingnan natin," Espino said, referring to the supposed illicit affairs of the slain priest.

He explained that investigating teams usually come up with matrices to zero in on possible angles and suspects, particularly in slay cases.

Espino said the angle of personal grudge in the priest's killing may fall under the love angle.

"Yung personal po, marami pong puwedeng pagkuhanan ng personal grudge no, isa nga po 'yung nababanggit po natin sa ngayon no, 'yung mga issue na sinabi n'yo tungkol kay Father Mark ventura at doon po talaga tayo zume-zero ng imbestigasyon," he said.

There are claims that Ventura could have been killed because of his anti-mining advocacy.

Espino said the SITG has yet to gather evidence or information that would link the killing to mining.

"Sa ngayon wala kasi kaming matibay na mga nakukuhang impormasyon na magsasabi o ito iyong magbibigay tibay o malakas na motibe at present," he said.

He, however, clarified that they are still not discounting the possibility that mining may have something to do with the priest's killing.

The SITG has released the facial composites of two suspected gunmen in the Ventura slay case.

A reward money of P300,000 is being offered for information that could lead to the arrest of the gunmen and the resolution of the case. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/ALG, GMA News