Resuello, Velasco murders solved, says Ilocos cop head

BY FREDDIE LAZARO

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – Ilocos Region police director Chief Supt. Leopoldo Bataoil bared two-high-profile murder cases involving prominent politicians in the region have been solved.

Bataoil announced here at Camp Oscar Florendo the gun slaying of former San Carlos City Mayor Julian Resuello is almost solved, while the killing of Mayor Phillip Velasco and Councilor Marcelo Andaya of Bacarra, Ilocos Norte was solved.

“The Resuello case is half-solved because we have identified the gunmen and charges of murder and frustrated murder were already filed against them,” Bataoil said. “We are still conducting thorough investigations to identify the mastermind.”

In the case of Velasco and Andaya, he said the criminal investigation and Detection Group in the region filed double murder and multiple frustrated murders against the alleged mastermind, also a politician, and several others.

“We came to know the mastermind in the murder together with the names of the other suspects through a cellular phone confiscated from the gunman who was killed by Velasco’s escort,” he said.

Bataoil also that the killing of San Manuel (Pangasinan) Vice Mayor Bonifacio Apilado is still being investigated.