Retrieval op for body of Bien Unido, Bohol Mayor Boniel continues

Authorities and technical divers on Tuesday have yet to retrieve the missing body of slain Bien Unido, Bohol mayor Gisela Boniel which was allegedly thrown in the waters of Caubian island in Lapu-Lapu City.

GMA Cebu's Randy Gorion reported on dzBB that authorities and technical divers used sonar technology or fishfinder on Monday, the fourth day of search and retrieval operations. The said technology could detect fish and other objects underwater.

According to a separate report on GMA News' Unang Balita on Tuesday by Alan Domingo, authorities discovered an unidentified object on Monday afternoon. However it was not the body of the mayor.

"Ang area, hindi na kakayanin ng ating technical divers," P/C Insp. Jacinto Mandal, technical diver of the Philippine National Police, said.

The search and retrieval operations will resume on Tuesday, Gorion said.

Special diving equipment of the Philippine Navy will be used to locate the body which was said to be 700 feet deep.

Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu City Police director Senior Supt. Rommel Cabagnot appealed to the provincial government to help them by providing additional pump boats, volunteer divers, gas and even food for the divers.

The husband and suspect in the killing of Mayor Boniel, Bohol Provincial Board Member Niño Rey "In-In" Boniel, will be facing parricide charges on Tuesday.

This is aside from the cases of two counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention filed before the Tagbilaran's prosecutor's office, based on the statement of Mayor Boniel's friend, Angela Leyson, and her 17-year-old child.

The Regional Trial Court in Talibon, Bohol released a resolution on Friday for the release of the suspect Niño Rey Boniel since the 36-hour period provided under Article 125 of the Revised Penal Code had already lapsed.

Under the Revised Penal Code, authorities can only hold a suspect for 36 hours. After that time, he or she will have to be released if no complaint has been filed.

However, the PNP Region 7 chose not to follow the resolution and said they will file a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals.

"The corpus delicti is already established. The fact remains that we have an eyewitness, disinterested dahil pinsan niya 'yon, at he narrated to us and even in open interview with media last night that it was the board member who shot," Sr. Supt. Jonathan Cabal, Regional Intelligence Division chief, said.

Police earlier said that it is planning to make Riolito Boniel, the pump boat operator, as a state witness in the case.

Niño Rey Boniel's camp said they will file a motion to cite PNP Region 7 in contempt for not releasing him on Friday.

Moreover, among those who will face charges are the driver, relatives of Niño Boniel, and two other suspects who are still at large.

Authorities are offering P100,000 for information leading to the capture of each of the suspects.

Gisela Boniel was allegedly abducted in a resort in Bohol and killed by her own husband on Wednesday over their personal problems. —Marlly Rome Bondoc/KG, GMA News