THE La Carlota City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 63 has released an arrest warrant for 14 people who were allegedly involved in the murder of Moises Padilla Councilor Jolomar Hilario in March 2019.
Based on a copy of the warrant, which was forwarded to members of the media, among the individuals identified in the warrant are incumbent Moises Padilla Vice Mayor Adrian Villaflor and former Isabela town mayor Joselito Malabor.
Other individuals named in the warrant are Vincent Garcia, Felisa Flores-Villaflor, Jonathan Villaflor, Jose Morito Flores, Jimmie Don Plaza, Amy Locsin, Armando Cordero, Roel Bero Sarillo, Jason Ledio Abria, Raymond Estorca Gabitanan, Richard Gelonga Sarillo Jr. and Joemer Salgado Pablo.
The arrest warrants were issued by Judge Cyclamen Jison Fernandez, Presiding Judge of La Carlota City RTC Branch 63, dated February 15, 2021. The said murder cases are not bailable.
Based on the criminal complaint with Case 6495, on March 23, 2019 somewhere in Barangay Sebucawan, Isabela, several of the accused, which include the incumbent Vice Mayor and the former Isabela mayor, allegedly conspired to kill Hilario.
The co-accused Sarillo, Abria, Gabitanan, Sarillo Jr., and Pablo allegedly killed Hilario on March 31 inside his residence in Barangay Inolingan, Moises Padilla.
Aside from the identified individuals in the criminal complaint, there are several other John Does numbering more or less 50-100 persons who may have had direct participation in the alleged murder.
Hilario was running for re-election at the time of the murder.
Based on an official report by the Moises Padilla town police back in 2019, Hilario was sleeping when around 50 armed individuals on board three trucks arrived and broke inside the victim's home identifying themselves as insurgents from the New People's Army (NPA).
The suspects shot Hilario multiple times, and at the same time threatened his wife and children, although they were left unharmed.
SunStar-Bacolod reached out to the camp of Villaflor and the other individuals named in the arrest warrant, but they said that their legal team will issue a unified statement over the allegations against them.