ILOILO City – Another suspect charged in the death of businesswoman Claire Diergos surrendered yesterday.
The 36-year-old Raffy Sorioso of Barangay Poblacion, San Dionisio, Iloilo turned himself in to the Criminal Investigation and Detective Group 6 (CIDG-6).
He was picked-up by the CIDG at 2:05 p.m. in Barangay San Vicente, Leganes, Iloilo.
Sorioso had an arrest warrant (Criminal Case No.22-87457) for murder issued by Judge Emerald Requina-Contreras of the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 23 (Iloilo City) dated May 2, 2022.
No bail bond was recommended for his temporary liberty.
Sorioso was indicted together with Rudelyn Sumbong, 24, of Barangay Baclayan, New Lucena, Iloilo and Gardo Ibrahim in the Diergos slay case.
Aside from his warrant of arrest, Sorioso is also facing murder and attempted murder charges (Criminal Case No. 2022-10346, and 2022-10347) issued by Judge Jose Mauricio Gomez of RTC, Branch 71 (Barotac Viejo, Iloilo) dated April 28, 2022.
He was the No. 7 wanted person in the town of San Dionisio.
Sorioso denied having anything to do with the death of Diergos, a single mother. His lawyer, Atty. Dwight Trasadas, pointed out gaping holes in the affidavits of six witnesses.
Trasadas cited an example – the claim of one witness that Sorioso drove Diergo’s sport utility vehicle where the victim was supposedly stuffed after she was killed.
According to Trasadas, Sorioso does not know how to drive a four-wheel motor vehicle. Proof: they got a certification from the Land Transportation Office that the agency had not issued a driver’s license to Sorioso.
Before Sorioso’s surrender, Sumbong surrendered on May 9 and is now detained in New Lucena police station.
Ibrahim remains at large of press time.
CIDG chief, Colonel Joseph Ian Lofranco welcomed Sorioso’s surrender.
“Mabuti naman at naisipan nya. We are calling other wanted persons to surrender. We assure your safety,” Lofranco said.
Diergos, a single mother, was found dead on Oct. 26, 2021 inside her sport utility vehicle in Barangay Inangayan, Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO), however, determined that Diergos was actually killed in her house at Deca Homes subdivision in adjacent Pavia town.
Autopsy showed Diergos had multiple stab wounds: two on the neck, five on the left hand and two on the right hand. Her neck was slashed./PN
