A POLICEMAN believed to be a suspect in the killing of another officer, Police Master Sergeant Junard Cinco in Toledo City on Tuesday, was killed inside his home before 3 a.m. Wednesday, at Sitio Batangbatang, Sudlon 1, Cebu City.
Personnel of the Provincial Intelligence Group (PIB) allegedly engaged Police Corporal Feliciano Yballe Jr. in an exchange of gunfire, after he supposedly refused to surrender to fellow policemen.
The PIB were the tracker team who were in hot pursuit of Cinco’s alleged killers. Cinco died on Tuesday morning while on the way to send his wife to work in Barangay Media Onse, Toledo City.
But Police Regional Director Brigadier General Debold Sinas, in a text message to media, denied Yballe was a suspect in the murder of Cinco.
Sinas earlier sent tracker teams to Toledo City to conduct a manhunt on Cinco’s killers.
Cebu City Police Director Royina Garma, who visited the PIB office, confirmed that Yballe was assigned to the Cebu City Mobile Force Company.
But she said Yballe was not the target of the police operation. She, however, declined to reveal more details, saying only Sinas would give a statement on the matter.
PIB officials also refused to talk to media, including Police Captain Alejandro Batobalonos, PIB chief and team leader of the operation.
Superbalita Cebu learned from a reliable source who requested not to be named that Yballe refused to surrender to the group of Batobalonos.
Yballe was hit in various parts of the body and was brought to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) but was declared dead by attending doctors.
Police have placed two people under investigation. They also recovered a Honda XRM with no plate number. The motorcycle matched the vehicle used by Cinco’s killers based on the closed circuit television footage.
Custody
Police took into custody Michael Villlendo, 35, the mechanic of the motorcycle, and 18-year-old “Emid,” who refused to give his real name. He is believed to be the driver of the motorcycle the gunman used.
Cecilia Villendo, Michael’s mother, said that around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, she noticed a motorcycle covered with tarpaulin parked outside their kitchen.
She asked the children who left the motorcycle, and they said it was “Onyot’s” henchman. Onyot is Yballe’s nickname.
She said she wanted to move it outside their fence, but she couldn’t because the motorcycle was locked.
It was past 7 p.m. when Michael arrived together with his 25-year-old live-in partner.
A few minutes later, personnel of the PIB arrived at their house, arrested her son and took the motorcycle.
Cecilia wanted the PIB to release her son because she said he was not involved, based on Emid’s statement to police.
Cecilia said Yballe was feared in their community because he was a bad man.
When SunStar Cebu checked the office of the PIB on Wednesday, only Emid was still left in the PIB’s custody.
No encounter?
Sudlon 1 Barangay Captain Dante Tabucal said based on the version of some barangay personnel, police from Toledo City Police Station and Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) arrived in the area and entered the house of Yballe while he was still alive.
There were men wearing their uniform, while others were in civilian clothes.
Tabucal said village watchmen (tanod) were supposed to respond to the police operation, but they were told not to go near the house.
“Di sila kasud didto kay gipugngan sila sa mga police (They couldn’t enter because they were stopped by the police),” Tabucal said.
He said he did not know what the police operation was about because the police did not coordinate with them.
“Walay coordination nga nahitabo (There was no coordination that happened),” Tabucal said.
After the policemen went inside Yballe’s house, the tanods heard screams, then they heard a number of gunshots, said Tabucal.
Two hours after the incident, around 2 a.m., the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) arrived at the crime scene.
Tabucal said they went to the area around nine in the morning, together with the Cebu City Police Office (CCPO), but Yballe’s body had already been brought by Soco to the CCMC.
Tabucal told SunStar Cebu that Yballe’s live-in partner did not give any statement about the incident since she was still in a state of shock.
“Jerome,” whose real name is withheld for security purposes, said Yballe’s house was surrounded by at least 20 armed men.
They knocked on Yballe’s door and when they entered the house, Yballe’s partner was taken out and brought to Jerome’s house, where they were told not to go near Yballe’s house.
Minutes after the live-in partner was brought to Jerome’s house, he then heard at least six gunshots.
Yballe’s live-in partner, according to Jerome, did not speak when she was brought to his house. She only screamed when she heard the sound of gunshots, saying that their children were still in the house.
“Didto ra siya nisangpit nga ang mga bata sir naa sa sulod, ang mga bata (It was only then that she said that the kids were inside the house),” said Jerome.
He then heard some policemen ask their fellow police to get the children out of the house.
Jerome said he saw around five to eight private vehicles, while one was a police vehicle.
Jerome also said he heard some policemen, whose vehicle was parked near his house, forcing someone to admit.
“Naa mi nadunggan nga gipatug-an, naa man silay usa na nga nadakpan mao ilang gipatug-an kung kinsa’y kauban (We heard someone was told to confess. One of those they arrested was with them and they were telling the person to identify who were his other companions),” Jerome said.
Jerome said he only knew that the armed men were from Toledo because he heard one of them calling the Toledo Police Station saying that they were already in the area.
After the sound of gunshots, the policeman went to his house and talked to the live-in partner.
“Gikuha nila, ilang gi-clear nga mao ra na among tuyo, wa mi gikuha (They took her, told her that that was their only purpose. They did not take anything),” said Jerome.
The policemen were still there when the Soco arrived at the crime scene, according to Jerome. “Kadlawon naman nanguli ang mga police mga alas 3 na kapin (The police went home around 3 a.m. already),” Jerome added.
Jerome said they did not attempt to go out of their house after the incident because he was scared.
Tabucal hopes that the truth will come out and people will not jump to conclusions since the investigation is still ongoing. (From AYB and GPL of SuperBalita Cebu, JJL, VLA)