Church, pastors’ group deny suspect in nursing student’s killing is an ordained pastor

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro — The Church of the Christ and the Mindoro Ministers Fellowship in Oriental Mindoro have both denied that the suspect in the brutal killing of 20-year-old third-year nursing student Altheia Maru Gabayno is a legitimate or ordained pastor.

In a Facebook post, Pastor Gerwin Falla Castillo, senior pastor of Lealtad Church of Christ and director of the Center for International Cooperation and Development–International Christian College of Manila, clarified that the 26-year-old suspect is not a pastor of their church.

“He may have preached once or twice, or did some ministry internship, but he is not a pastor,” Castillo said in his social media post.

Castillo also said there was no proof that the suspect had been ordained by any church.

“No church can validate his claim. There is no proof that he was ordained,” he added.

“You do not even care to attend church services and you have the nerve to say that you are a pastor! You were not, and you are not!!” Castillo said.

In a separate public announcement, the Mindoro Ministers Fellowship also clarified that the arrested suspect had not been ordained by any church in Mindoro.

“We also wish to correct a statement made by [redacted] – who identifies himself as a pastor – as he is not ordained by any church in Mindoro,” the group said.

The fellowship further stressed that the suspect is not a recognized member of the Mindoro Ministries Fellowship in Oriental Mindoro.

The Mindoro Ministers Fellowship is an organization of 50 churches in the province.

The suspect surrendered on Sunday night to the MIMAROPA Police Regional Intelligence Division at the Church of the Christ in Legarda, Manila, where he identified himself as a pastor.

The suspect reportedly met the victim during an outreach program in Mindoro. They later entered into a romantic relationship that lasted for about a month.