POLICE ROUNDUP

 Police nab 186 wanted persons in Cordi

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad Benguet -- A total of 186 wanted persons including 30 top most wanted persons (TMWP) are now in jail after being arrested in manhunt operations by operatives of Police Regional Office Cordillera for the month of January.

 “The series of operations which were conducted regionwide to arrest all wanted criminals charged for various offenses is in adherence to the marching orders of the PNP chief to intensify, reinvigorate and focus on the anti-criminality drive and anti-insurgency efforts of the PNP,” newly installed Cordillera police regional director Brig. Gen. R’win SA Pagkalinawan said.

 Of the 186, thirty were listed in the top 10 most wanted persons.

One was listed in the regional level's TMW, 9 in the provincial level and 20, municipal, while 156 were categorized as other wanted persons .

 Leading the list of arrested persons was Cordillera’s number 8 TMWP identified as Jheyrald Cayas Genove.

He was nabbed in Lower Wangal, La Trinidad, Benguet Jan. 24 for two counts of rape with no bail recommended.

Nine other TMWPs were nabbed in provincial level.

Abra’s no. 6 TMWP identified as Alfredo L Tampoy Sr. was nabbed at Barangay Bao-yan, Boliney, Abra on Jan. 26 for two acts of lasciviousness with a recommended bail bond of P180,000.

In Apayao, the no. 5 TMWP named as Aljhmar Bawat Dam-at, 25, farmer, of Aga, Pudtol town was apprehended for rape while no. 8 TMWP Emerson Pante Calapati, 32, carpenter, Gulpeng, Pinili, Ilocos Norte was caught for double frustrated homicide.

Both were arrested in their respective residences on Jan. 13 with no bail recommended.

 In Benguet, the listed no. 8 TMWP named Judilyn P. Daclis, 37, of km 16 Ambassador, Tublay, Benguet was caught in Acop, Caponga in the town on Jan. 11 while Arjay Olita Daguio, 28, laborer, listed as no. 10 TMWP was seized in his residence in Lengaoan, Buguias, Benguet on Jan. 14.

Daclis was accused of estafa with no bail recommended while Daguio was charged for violation of Republic Act 7610 with bail set at P200,000.

 In Ifugao, Jose Pugong, 53, no. 1 TMWP, caretaker of Globe cell site at Ap-apid, Tinoc, Ifugao was arrested in Barangay Ap-apid, Tinoc on Jan. 23 while Roy Wallat Gopeng,  43, laborer, of Sitio Kha'chan, Barangay Buninan, Mayoyao, Ifugao was apprehended in Barangay Balangbang, of the town on Jan. 28.

Pugong was arrested for murder with no bail recommended while Gopeng was held for frustrated murder with set at P200,000.

The two most wanted persons of Kalinga identified as Marcial C. Pallat, no. 1 MWP charged for rape was captured in Barangay Bantay, Tabuk City, Kalinga while Freddie B Sangab, no. 8 TMWP was apprehended for Attempted Rape in Pinococ, Pinukpuk town.

Both were arrested on Jan. 15.

Pallat was denied bailwhile Sangab had bail set at P120,000.

 The highest performing office was Baguio City Police Office with 97 arrests followed by Benguet provincial police office with 31; Abra, 19; Kalinga, 18; Ifugao, 12; Apayao,5 and Mountain Province with four arrests.

Sandigan junks ex-Ilocos Sur’s mayor’s appeal to reinvestigate graft raps

CABUGAO, Ilocos Sur -- The Sandiganbayan has affirmed its earlier ruling denying an appeal of a former mayor of Cabugao for an ocular inspection of a road project that was a subject of  pending graft and malversation cases against him.

In a resolution promulgated on Jan. 27, the anti-graft court said former mayor Diocaesar Suero of Cabugao failed to raise new arguments that could warrant a reversal of the ruling. 

The court also denied a similar appeal filed by Sue-ro’s co-accused, former municipal planning and development coordinator Florante Jara and private respondent Nestor Ibarra of N.A. Ibarra Construction.

“We pointed out at the outset that the arguments of the accused in their motions were essentially reiterations of the points they raised in a motion for ocular inspection. We see no reason to overturn our ruling denying their motion for lack of merit,” the anti-graft court’s Third Division said. 

Filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2016, the cases against Suero and his co-accused stemmed from a project involving the construction and repair of a farm-to-market road in Barangay Cuantacla.

Based on the charge sheet, Suero, Jara and former municipal engineer Jose Suboc paid a total of P926,650 to Ibarra between April and May 2010 for the concreting of the road.

State prosecutors said the municipal government overpaid Ibarra by P516,715 as shown in a report of the Commission on Audit (COA), which said the project was underrun or incomplete by 74.79 cubic meters.

The ombudsman said the accused reportedly falsified documents to make it appear that the project was accomplished according to the approved plan, specifications and work program.

In his appeal, Suero said the conduct of another ocular inspection was necessary to determine the volume and dimension of the road. He said the new inspection would   determine whether there was an actual underrun as alleged by the ombudsman.

Suero said aside from being undated, the inspection report of the COA was focused only on one of the four components of the road project.

The Sandiganbayan said that although the COA initially inspected only one component of the project, it was able to assess three other components when its engineers conducted another round of inspection on the road project.

 Woman from Santiago brutally killed, raped

By Mar T. Supnad

STA MARIA, Ilocos Sur- A 40-year-old woman from Santiago town was brutally murdered and possibly raped Monday by unidentified suspects along a cornfield in Barangay Suso, this town.

Cpl. John Bryan Dollente, police investigator of Sta Maria police, said they are still following up leads on the culprits in the murder of Jonalyn Ecraela Fabro, of Barangay Bigbiga, Santiago.

“We are still conducting follow up investigation and requested the SOCO team to determine the victim’s cause of death since her face was badly mangled and the other side of her head bore crack; she might have been raped because her pant was pulled down,” Investigator Dollente told this writer in a telephone interview.

“Tinubtuban da diay rupa na ken adda nakaro nga sugatna diay bangir ti ulo ti biktima; nakababa diay pantalon na di naduktalan diay bangkay na isu nga agatap kami nga rinames da. (They hit the victim’s face with a hard object and there was a severe wound on the other side of her head. She was naked when the victim was found, raising suspicioun that she was raped),” said Dollente.

Police said around 7:30 p.m. of Feb. 1, the mother of the victim Marilou Funtanilla Ecraela together with Althea Fabro, daughter of the victim went to Barbgay Poblacion Sur, Sta. Maria at Reyes Funeral Homes and identified the cadaver as Jonalyn Ecraela Fabro,” said the report.

Dollente said the area where the victim’s lifeless body was found was along a cornfield, around 70 meters away from the highway.

1 die, 2 injured in Cagayan mishap

By Raymund Catindig

TUGUEGARAO CITY — A tricycle driver died while two others were injured in a vehicular accident in Ballesteros, Cagayan on Feb. 1.  

Nelson Echanique, 50, was declared dead on arrival at the Ballesteros District Hospital, where Regie Baga, 31, and his companion Ramon Garcia, 39, were taken for treatment. 

Police said Echanique was driving a tricycle while Baga and Garcia were on a motorcycle when a sport utility vehicle (SUV) hit them in Barangay Fugu at around 5 p.m.

SUV driver Wilson Cristobal, 53, reportedly tried to overtake, causing him to hit the victims.

Cristobal was taken to the police station for questioning.

 Hungduan officials cite Bontoc for help in ambulance mishap   

BONTOC, Mountain Province – Hungduan, Ifugao municipal officials extended their gratitude to the Bontoc local government for their search, rescue and retrieval operation during the vehicular accident involving constituents of Hungduan on Jan. 14 at Barangay Talubin, Bontoc. 

Earole Kurt Akiate and Franklin Angawa died while three others were injured when the ambulance they were riding fell off a deep ravine along Sitio Ba-ey, Doddo, Talubin that day. 

The certificate of appreciation signed by Hungduan Mayor Casan P. Dumulag and Vice Mayor Lucas A. Bugatti, said the people and officials of Hungduan, werer “grateful for the immeasurable and selfless action of the Bontoc LGU employees.” 

A separate certificate of appreciation was also given to the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the Bontoc Municipal Police Station, and Bontoc Municipal Fire Station. 

Vice Mayor Bugatti with the other representatives from Hungduan local government handed certificates of appreciation on Jan. 27 at Bontoc Municipal Capitol.

Two women jailed for gossiping about neighbor in Aparri

By Gibert Bayoran

TUGUEGARAO CITY, Cagayan — Two housewives were arrested in Aparri town Monday in connection with charges they are facing for allegedly spreading rumors that their neighbor had an illicit affair.

Leticia Unipa, 43, and Eleanor Mercado, 45, remain in jail after they failed to post bail of P18,000 recommended by Aparri Metropolitan Circuit Trial Court Judge Blaise Sambolledo-Barcena, according to Maj. Mario Maraggun, town police chief.

Basilio Villena, general manager of the Aparri water district, filed charges for grave oral defamation against the suspects last year.

 Lawmen seize P6-million marijuana bricks in Kalinga

TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Operatives of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Region 2 seized 50 bricks of dried marijuana leaves in a buy-bust operation conducted here in Sitio Ileb, Barangay Nambaran, last week, according to PDEA 2 Director Christy Silvan.

In the operation staged last Jan. 30, Silvan said 25 tubular forms of dried marijuana leaves and 25 brick forms of dried marijuana leaves were recovered from the two suspects identified as Reymar Balagtas and Victor Dumling, both residents of Tabuk City.

Based on the standard set by the Dangerous Drug Board (DDB), the recovered dried marijuana leaves had an estimated value of P6 million.

He added that the two suspects have long been under surveillance after they were reported as suppliers of marijuana that is being brought to Bulacan, Cavite and National Capital Region (NCR).

He also said that the identity of the other suspects’ companion, who escaped during the operation, was under investigation.

The two suspects are now under the custody of the PDEA for filing the appropriate charges against them.—Freddie Lazaro

 Seven junk shops’ transfer slated after folks complain

By Aileen P. Refuerzo

BAGUIO CITY – Owners of seven junk shops at Barangay Irisan here were ordered to fix their operations while waiting for their transfer to a new site at the city’s waste transfer station at the Baguio Dairy Farm.

The city’s Permits and Licensing Division headed by PLD chief Allan Abayao last week required said junkyards to maintain cleanliness, orderliness and safety to avoid being locked down.

They were issued show cause notices why they should not be closed following complaints lodged by teachers and parents of students in a nearby school, barangay officials and health workers over the unsanitary and unsafe condition of said junkshops but were later allowed to continue their operation after complying with the order.

Abayao said the junk shop owners were earlier briefed on their planned transfer to the Dairy Farm station and were even toured to the site and all of them approved of the plan.

General Services Officer Eugene Buyucan said the order caused disruption in schedule of collection of recyclable wastes in some barangays but this was addressed immediately.

He said there are around 85 volunteers from the different barangays who are collecting recyclable wastes and dealing with the junkshops.

“They are a great help to us in our waste reduction efforts as they collect 50 tons of recyclables per day,” Buyucan said.

Meanwhile, Buyucan said ten sets of garbage bins were distributed along Session Road last week for use of passersby.

“We hope the public will use these bins properly and will continue to respect our laws,” he said.