Investigators are still trying to determine if the priest who went missing in Cavite province and was discovered alive two days later was abducted.
Rosario, Cavite Police Chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Ruther Saquilayan said they had yet to speak with Father Leoben Peregrino as the priest’s doctor instructed in an interview on Dobol B TV on Monday.
“Wala pa po kaming idea kung ito po ay talagang dinukot. Sa ngayon po ang makakapagbigay linaw talaga ay si Father lang po kung ano ang tunay na nangyari sa kanya,” Saquilayan said.
(We still don’t know if he was kidnapped; at this point, only the priest can tell us what happened to him.)
According to Saquilayan, the police are awaiting confirmation from the doctor before speaking with Peregrino, parish priest of the Most Holy Rosary Parish. The priest is currently recovering in a Cavite hospital.
“Sa ngayon blangko pa po kami dahil nga po sa CCTV na kinakalap po namin, nagsasagawa po kami ng backtracking simula po doon sa lugar kung saan siya natagpuan at doon sa lugar kung saan siya nanggaling,” he said.
According to Saquilayan, Peregrino had been anxious in recent weeks, based on information from the priest’s sister and driver.
Missing priest found alive, tied up in Cavite
The priest allegedly urged his sister to take care of their business while he was away, Saquilayan said.
Peregrino regularly buys candles with his driver, according to Saquilayan. On the other hand, the priest went on his own the day he went missing and left his cell phone behind.
Peregrino, who had been missing for two days, was discovered alive but bound and unconscious inside his vehicle in Silang, Cavite, Sunday.
Those who knew the priest were similarly taken aback by the incident.
Peregrino had been a parish priest at the Most Holy Rosary church for six years, according to Salvador Azuela, a vendor outside the church.
“Si Father Peregrino ho, napakabait po siyang pari dito. Okay naman ho siyang pari. Strikto, pero mabait,” he said.
(Father Peregrino is a good priest here. He is okay. He is strict, but he is good.)
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