Agoo cop held for slay of NE councilor-lover

By Armand Galang 

GUIMBA, Nueva Ecija — A policeman in La Union province was arrested after he was tagged in the killing of a councilor of Sto. Domingo town in this province, authorities said Tuesday, Feb. 14.
    Patrolman Saddam Pascual, 32, was arrested around 1 a.m. on Monday in Barangay Sicsican, Talavera town, also in Nueva Ecija, according to Lt. Col. Reynold Macabitas, Guimba police chief.
    Pascual was arrested during a hot pursuit operation following the killing of Councilor Angelique Alexis Paulino, 33, a resident of Barangay Sto. Rosario in Sto. Domingo.
    While there was no security camera on the crime scene, Macabitas said footage from other security cameras near the place and up to Rosales town in Pangasinan province, corroborated the testimonies of eyewitnesses that the suspect was spotted in the vicinity of the victim’s residence prior to the incident.
    Paulino was shot dead while driving her gray sedan on Sunday, investigators said.
    Her bullet-riddled body was found inside the car that was recovered in Barangay Maturanoc here.
    According to the authorities, the suspect was on board a red hatchback car at the time of the killing.
    “May mga testigo na bago mangyari ang pamamaril. Nakita mismo yung suspek doon sa vicinity ng bahay ng biktima inside his private car [There are witnesses prior to the shooting. The suspect inside a car was seen in the vicinity of the victim’s house],” Macabitas told the Inquirer.
    “Nakita naman namin sa mga CCTV after the incident, nakita namin po yung sasakyan na ginamit mismong yung sasakyan ng suspect [We saw the incident in the CCTV, we saw the suspect’s car],” he added.
    An investigation revealed that Pascual and Paulino had been in a relationship for more than five years.
    At one point, the suspect allegedly turned jealous, which led to the couple’s split, an initial investigation showed.   
    Macabitas said they recovered the murder weapon, a .9-mm service pistol.
    Apart from the criminal case filed by the local police here, the La Union provincial police office will also file administrative cases against Pascual, Macabitas said.