‘I KILLED MA’AM’
Killer of resort owner in Boracay surrenders
BY MONTESA GRIÑO

BORACAY – The prime suspect in the death of a resort owner here has surrendered, six months after the commission of the crime. He admitted killing his lady employer, claiming that she had not paid him for five months.
Jesus “Jessie” Palbaquer, 25, of Brgy. Luna, Sagay City, Negros Occidental faces charges for robbery with homicide. His employer was 48-year-old Araceli Villanueva-Hug of Bamboo Beach Resort.
Hug was married to a Swiss national and had two children.
Palbaquer’s cousin, Neneng Savillo, helped the suspect surface. Arrangements were made with Bombo Radyo reporter Joe Liboon for his surrender the other day in Bacolod City.
Palbaquer was temporarily detained at the Bacolod City Police Office (BCPO). Yesterday, Boracay Special Police Office’s (BSPO) Chief Insp. Christopher Prangan personally fetched him from Bacolod City.
At the Police Regional Office 6 (PRO-6) in Camp Martin Delgado in Iloilo City, Chief Supt. Edwin Pflieder, Deputy Regional Director for Administration (DRDA), said Palbaquer will be turned over to the proper court in Aklan.
ADMISSION
Palbaquer admitted killing Hug. He said she failed to pay his salary for almost five months.
He also claimed that he and his co-workers were being starved at the resort.
“Indi ko na maagwanta ang gina obra nya sa akon, amo man sa mga upod ko (I could no longer bear what she was doing to me and my fellow resort workers),” he stressed over an interview with DYFM Bombo Radyo Iloilo yesterday.
Palbaquer said he decided to surrender because there have been threats on his life.Chief Supt. Geary Barias, regional director of PRO-6, assured Palbaquer’s safety. He said several policemen would be guarding Palbaquer at detention.
THE INCIDENT
The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group 6 (CIDG-6) was the one that filed the charges against Palbaquer.
Supt. Renato Gumban, chief of CIDG-6, said the suspect was terminated due to poor performance.
Investigators said Hug’s attacker carted away some P90,000 cash and her cellular phone.Witness Jershon Andales claimed to have seen Palbaquer at the resort on the day Hug was discovered dead last June 19, 2006. He said the suspect was hurriedly walking downstairs.
Though he was terminated, Pabalquer would oftentimes drop by the resort since his brother JR was still working there.
Gumban said Andales’ statement was collaborated by resort staff Eulalia Manzalay and Alex Ipiscua who claimed to have seen the suspect passing by their staff house at the back of the resort that day.
Gumban also said the 12-inch knife used to kill Hug was found near the staff house.The lifeless body of Hug was found by one of her employees. She succumbed to a lone fatal stab wound on the chest.