BY MA. THERESA LADIAO
AKLAN – Investigations are currently ongoing following the tragic death of two local government employees who were found dead inside a parked vehicle in Barangay Panilongan, Buruanga town on Monday afternoon, November 4.
The victims were identified as live-in partners Leda Candelario Cenon and Richan Bartolome, who worked as a municipal local government operations officer (MLGOO) and an administrative aide, respectively, for the Buruanga municipal government.
According to the Buruanga police station and Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), a .38-caliber revolver was recovered inside the vehicle and believed to have been the weapon used in the incident.
Both victims sustained gunshot wounds to the chest, with Cenon seated in the driver’s seat and Bartolome in the passenger seat.
Buruanga police are currently investigating the case as a potential crime of passion.
Captain Larry John Vidal said that, based on the ongoing probe, the couple had reportedly been experiencing relationship difficulties, with Cenon allegedly seeking to end the relationship, which Bartolome did not accept.
Witnesses report that the vehicle was initially seen parked along a remote, seaside road around 8 a.m. on Monday. By 5 p.m., a barangay tanod observed the vehicle still parked in the same spot and decided to investigate, leading to the tragic discovery.
Vidal indicated that the police’s working theory is that a confrontation over relationship issues may have escalated, leading Bartolome to shoot Cenon before taking his own life.
Family members of the victims have indicated their trust in the police investigation, expressing that they do not suspect any foul play in the incident.
SOCO, meanwhile, has recommended paraffin and ballistic testing, along with autopsies, to further clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Cenon and Bartolome leave behind a five-year-old child. The couple had lived together for years in Buruanga but had reportedly been separated for over a month prior to the incident, police added./PN
