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Thursday, December 27, 2007
Police official says holiday in Cebu 'bloody'
By Jovy S. Taghoy
CEBU CITY -- One policeman died in an alleged shootout with a fellow policeman on Christmas Eve, while two other policemen and a barangay tanod were hurt in a separate attack, during what a homicide police official described as a "bloody" holiday in Cebu City.
In five other shooting incidents last Monday and Tuesday, five civilians were injured, including a sleeping 50-year-old woman whom a stray bullet hit.
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Homicide Section Chief Mario Monilar and chief investigator SPO1 Jay Yballe identified the policeman who died in the shootout as PO1 Calvin D. Dinampo, 32, of Samboan.
He entered the police service in December 2003 and was assigned to the Talisay City Police Station. Dinampo died of gunshot wounds in the chest, pelvic area and leg, allegedly after holding a firecracker vendor hostage.
PO1 Mark Anthony P. Manlosa, 31, of Santan Street, San Jose Village in Barangay Tisa yielded to a police team after the incident.
He is presently assigned with the Cebu City Tourist Assistance Center under the supervision of the CCPO's operations section. He is part of the December 2002 batch of police recruits that graduated from the Regional Training School.
Hostage
The alleged shootout took place at the corner of Silver and Gold Sts. in Tisa at 7:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
An initial investigation by Yballe's team showed that Manlosa was riding on his motorcycle Belben P. Famador, 30, when he spotted Dinampo brandishing a firearm.
Yballe said they are still verifying reports that Dinampo was drunk when the incident occurred.
Manlosa approached Dinampo and asked the latter if he was a policeman.
Instead of answering, Dinampo allegedly grabbed a firecracker vendor identified as Allan Añana and used him as a shield while aiming his gun at Manlosa.
Añana managed wriggle free of Dinampo's grip shortly before gunfire rang out.
The next thing witnesses saw was Dinampo slumped along the road, with multiple gunshot wounds.
Self-defense
A one-year-old girl carried by her aunt near the crime scene was also injured, with wounds in her right thumb and ring finger. She was taken to the Cebu City Medical Center.
Manlosa, in an interview with reporters at the Homicide Section yesterday, said he was forced to shoot Dinampo to defend himself.
He said that Dinampo attempted to shoot him but the latter's gun misfired, giving Manlosa the chance to jump from the motorcycle, take cover and fire back.
Manlosa said he could not recall how many times Dinampo fired his gun because his priority at that time was to shoot back.
"But I didn't have any intention of killing him," Manlosa said.
He said he unable to confirm if Dinampo was a policeman, because the initial response he received was negative.
Homicide investigators and operatives from Punta Princesa Police Station confiscated Manlosa's Armscor .45 pistol, loaded with seven bullets.
Gunpowder test
They also recovered Dinampo's Shooters 9mm pistol with a magazine and nine live ammunition, nine .45 caliber empty shells, one 9mm shell and five deformed slugs of undetermined caliber at the crime scene.
Yballe told Sun.Star Cebu he requested the PNP Crime Laboratory 7 to conduct a paraffin test on both Dinampo and Manlosa's hands. The presence of gunpowder residue on their hands would determine if they indeed fired their guns.
Homicide Section Chief Monilar said that Manlosa will be charged with reckless imprudence resulting in homicide.
He added he would welcome it if other law enforcement agencies assist in the investigation.
Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 Director Ronald Roderos, in a separate interview, said he also ordered the Homicide Section to conduct an autopsy on Dinampo.
Dinampo's death came as a shock to Talisay City Police Station Chief Romeo Perigo, who described the slain policeman as gentle and silent.
"He was not a violent person. I was really surprised when I heard about it," Perigo told Sun.Star Wednesday. He said the Dinampo was off-duty at the time of the shooting.
Pursuit
Dinampo was among the four young policemen sent from the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) to Talisay last August. They were all detailed to the beat patrol.
Before his stint at the CPPO, Dinampo was assigned at the Regional Mobile Group 7.
Of the four, Perigo said, Dinampo was the gentlest and never figured in a conflict with his colleagues.
In a separate incident at 8:30 p.m. last Tuesday in Barangay Inayawan, two operatives of the CCPO Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) Team and a barangay tanod were injured when an armed man, who earlier killed a man in an argument, fired at the authorities.
The armed man, later identified as Alejandro Bayarcal, alias Dodo, 33, a shellcraft factory worker, died during the alleged shootout.
SPO2 Renante Nioda and PO3 Reynaldo Callet of the CCPO Swat Team were taken to Chong Hua Hospital.
Medals
Nioda's hands were hit by slugs from Bayarcal's .357 revolver, while Callet was injured in the right side of his body.
Roderos visited both policemen at the hospital past 1 p.m. yesterday to award them with the Medalya ng Sugatang Magiting for getting injured in the line of duty.
Roderos said the PRO 7 will also pay for the hospital expenses of the two policemen.
Before the shootout, Bayarcal allegedly shot and killed Arnel Villarico, 22, during an argument. They began fighting after Bayarcal allegedly urinated near Villarico, who was with his girlfriend.
Bayarcal left but returned moments later with a revolver and shot Villarico.
Villarico was taken to Chong Hua Hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
Swat operatives, tanods and officials led by Barangay Captain Rustom Ignacio chased Bayarcal, who hid inside the house of his employer Wilfredo Villaplaza.
Negotiations
Tanods Wilfredo Ornopia and Ciloutte Encabo tried to convince Bayarcal to surrender.
Bayarcal allegedly ignored them and fired his gun, hitting Ornopia in the right finger.
Bayarcal ran to his employer's comfort room, where negotiations for his surrender continued.
However, he allegedly fired more shots, hitting the two Swat operatives and forcing the police team to fire back, killing Bayarcal on the spot.
Police also held Villaplaza for questioning.
Homicide investigators recovered Bayarcal's .357 revolver with five fired empty shells inside the cylinder, seven M16 empty shells, six .45 caliber empty shells, three slugs and several fragments. (With GC/Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Iloilo. (December 27, 2007 issue)
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