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Monday, October 20, 2008
Murder raps filed vs town mayor, 7 others
BAGUIO CITY –- Charges were filed against Mayor Edwin Crisologo of Tineg, Abra and seven others after the recent arrest of a notorious gun-for-hire in Nueva Ecija.
Crisologo was named the mastermind of the ambush-slay of a village chief, five of his companions, and the wounding of three others in Lagayan, Abra.
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Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin, director of the Police Regional Office in the Cordillera, said multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder charges were filed against Crisologo and seven others after Eugene Califlores alias Hen -- an alleged gun-for-hire -- and one of his armed gang members confessed to the crime committed.
They named Crisologo as the mastermind.
Also named respondents to the criminal cases were Freddie Tabas, Sikkel Parado, Loreto Gangas, Arnold Castañeda, Robert Valera, Arnel Aguilar, and Califlores, a former police auxiliary group member operating in the towns of La Paz, Danglas, and Lagayan, all in Abra.
Martin said the charges were filed before the Abra Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Bangued last October 3.
Califlores was tracked down to Nueva Ecija, where he hid for over a year, after he and his armed group allegedly ambushed two Philippine National Police (PNP) teams in Lagayan. A policeman was wounded in action.
Senior Superintendent Alexander Pumecha, director of the Abra Provincial Police Office, said Califlores and his supposed armed group are suspects in several ambuscades, as well as in the murder of more than 13 people and in the wounding of many others.
"He perpetrates most of his crimes in Lagayan. He was wanted for a long time or one crime of murder committed in 1990 and another murder with frustrated murder charge in the year 2000, both issued by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 2 of Bangued, Abra," Pumecha said.
Pumecha added that Califlores and his seven cohorts are suspected in the ambush of barangay chairman Romero Guyang on board a Mitsubishi Pajero at the boundary of barangays Pang-ot and Ba-i, both of Lagayan, Abra. The incident resulted to the death of the village leader and five others, as well as to the wounding of three other victims.
The barangay official and his companions were on their way home from attending a wake of a relative.
"The notorious criminal and a gun-for-hire ended in jail at last after committing so many heinous crimes in the province of Abra," Pumecha said.
Aside from this, Martin said Califlores and his cohorts also allegedly ambushed a composite team from the Lagayan Municipal Police Station and the 1601st Provincial Police Mobile Group on board a passenger jeep at sitio Tamurong, Pulot, Lagayan on May 13 last year. A policeman was wounded in the attack.
"Since the suspect became a fugitive, the Abra police exerted all efforts to apprehend the suspect. On September 22 this year, they received information that Califlores was hiding in Nueva Ecija," Martin said.
As a result, Chief Inspector Melvin Napiloy, chief of the Lagayan Municipal Police Station, immediately led a team and proceeded to Nueva Ecija to arrest the suspect on September 27.
Around 7:15 p.m. the same day, the suspect was arrested together with his cousin Sonny Califlores, 28, who was found in possession of a 12-gauge shotgun.
They were first brought to a police station in Nueva Ecija for documentation and for the filing of a charge for the violation of Republic Act (RA) 8294 or for illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition against Sonny Califlores.
After their return to Abra and the ensuing investigation, Eugene Califlores admitted all the accusations against him, as corroborated by his detained co-accused identified as Arnel Aguilar.
He executed a voluntary extra-judicial confession in the presence of his preferred counsel, lawyer Hamilcar Bigornia, particularly on the ambush-slay of Guyang and his companions.
Eugene was detained in the Abra Provincial Jail after being presented to the court concerned.
With this development, Martin said there was a breakthrough in the solution of unsolved cases in Abra with the continuous cooperation of the residents. (Ernie Olson Jr./Sun.Star Baguio/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Pampanga. (October 20, 2008 issue)
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