Shooting suspect indicted for murder

A string of criminal charges were filed yesterday against a retired enlisted man of the Philippine Air Force who surrendered to authorities the other day for the killing of two of his in-laws and injuring two others at barangay Apas Friday night.

Retired PAF sergeant Nestor Bugarin was indicted by the police homicide section with two counts of murder and two counts of frustrated murder under inquest proceedings before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office. Bugarin was given 10 days to submit his counter-affidavit.

Bugarin’s lawyer Rameses Villagonzalo insisted that his client was not arrested and therefore he should be allowed to answer the charges in a preliminary investigation.

Assistant prosecutor Simaco Labata however went on with the inquest proceeding, prompting Bugarin to sign a waiver of detention but Villagonzalo said that even if his client signed the waiver, they maintain that he was not arrested and that his custody by the National Bureau of Investigation is voluntary.

Bugarin’s custody might be transferred though to the homicide section soon, especially now that he was already indicted. The homicide has already requested for Bugarin’s turnover from the NBI.

The family of the victims also wanted the police to take custody of Bugarin but he will still remain in NBI custody until after the police request is acted upon by NBI regional director Medardo de Lemos.

Villagonzalo said they will not object if his client will be transferred to homicide custody because it will not affect the merit of the case.

Bugarin surrendered to the NBI last Wednesday after few days in hiding. He was picked up by the team of special agent Arnel Pura in barangay Bitoon, Daanbantayan. His wife earlier requested the NBI to assist her husband’s surrender, claiming that she did not trust other law enforcement units.

City Police director, Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, have earlier said they would exhaust all remedies to get hold of Bugarin citing one rule in criminal procedures that would allow the police to take Bugarin from the NBI.

Bugarin admitted killing his father in law, Cristito Pontanar, and his brother in law, Esmeraldo Pontanar, and injuring Esmeraldo’s wife, Maria Glen and her 13-year-old son Paulo. Bugarin however insisted that what he did was in self-defense because it was Esmeraldo who allegedly provoked him.

Bugarin narrated that his conflict with the victims started two years ago when his jeep parked inside their compound was “intentionally bumped” by Esmeraldo. There were also succeeding incidents that he just let passed until that fateful Friday night when he was already attacked.

He said the incident started with a petty argument between his wife and Esmeraldo’s, alleging further that Esmeraldo arrived with a gun and kept on shouting at him to go out of the house to finish everything off.

At first, Bugarin said he did not mind until Esmeraldo allegedly attempted to go inside his house. It was then that he took his gun and shot Esmeraldo to death.

Bugarin alleged that Cristito came to Esmeraldo’s rescue by hitting him on the face with an open palm and this prompted him to shot Cristito also. He said he shot Esmeraldo’s wife and son Paulo because they allegedly tried to hit him at the back with an iron bar and stone.

Telesfora, the 69-year-old mother-in law of Bugarin, for her part told reporters that she could afford to forgive the suspect who killed her husband and son but would push through with the filing of the charges against him.

In Maria Glen’s affidavit, she said that the bloody incident started with a simple quarrel over dogs of the Bugarins and the Pontanars. Bugarin’s wife Anecita was walking her dog near the Pontanar’s gate causing the latter’s dogs to be agitated with the barking noise prompted Maria Glen to caution Anecita from letting the dog near the other dog. — Fred Languido with Edwin Ian Melecio/RAE