Rape with homicide charges against Vincent Nuñez Jr., 25, and Christian Yema, 19, suspects in the rape and killing of elementary teacher Allen Hope Barcoma, will be filed today.

Negros Occidental provincial police director Senior Supt. Charles Calima Jr., however, said yesterday that the police intends to use Yema as a state witness against Nunez, who is now in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation.

Barcoma's body was dumped in a Bago City irrigation canal on Aug. 2 by the suspects, police said.

Calima said they have established that Yema, Nuñez and Barcoma were the only persons in the white Toyota Corolla car at the time of the incident. He said he believes the police have a strong case against the suspects. He said the re-enactment conducted by the Negros Occidental police office and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Wednesday jibed with Yema's statement, and was corroborated by the witnesses. He said he has informed the Barcomas about their plan to use Yema as state witness and they have agreed to it.

Calima said he believes Yema was not the person who raped and killed Barcoma because he was driving the car from Purok Katilingban, Brgy. Banago, Bacolod City to her boarding house in Binalbagan City and to the irrigation canal in Brgy. Abuanan, Bago City.

Calima also said that if they do not use Yema as a state witness against Nuñez, and instead include him as a suspects, the case might be dismissed.

Meanwhile, based on the testimony of Nuñez, the NBI had filed murder charges against Yema before the Bago City Prosecutor's Office Friday last week.

The body of Barcoma, a teacher of the Fellowship Baptist School in Binalbagan, was found with a nylon cord tied around her neck in a canal in Bago City on Aug. 2, police reports said.*DMG

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