Alleged killers of DPWH engineer fall

CEBU, Philippines – The two men accused of killing an official of the Department of Public Works and Highways in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, last Thursday night, are already under police custody.

The alleged assailant, identified as Rene Garcia, 30, of sitio Kalubihan, Talamban, was arrested in a hot pursuit operation, while Norman Agbay, 21, a resident of the same barangay and the alleged driver of the getaway motorcycle surrendered to councilor Augustus Pe and was later turned over to the police.

Garcia admitted shooting dead Ciriaco Salazar, 49, in sitio Tigbao, Talamban, past 7 p.m. last Thursday while the victim was driving home with his wife, Dolores, also a DPWH official.

It was Dolores who was supposedly Garcia's target.

Cebu City Police Office director Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador said the break for the police came when a nephew of the victim reported to the CCPO the following day and told the police to investigate Garcia as he had an ax to grind against Dolores.

The police conducted an investigation near the crime scene and received information among motorcycle-for-hire drivers that a certain man, later identified as Garcia, was said to have hired a driver while showing off a gun.

Garcia, allegedly a toughie, was terminated by Dolores from his job as a driver of the DPWH maintenance section last July 1 because of his poor performance. Garcia has worked as driver of the department for seven years.

Operatives of the Investigation and Detective Management Branch, City Intelligence Branch and the Homicide Section arrested Garcia inside his store around 6 a.m. yesterday.

Dolores and at least four persons positively identified him as the one who gunned down Ciriaco.

During his arrest, police allegedly found the gun Garcia used to shoot Ciriaco, a Colt .45 cal. pistol with a magazine containing six live rounds. They also found five more live rounds in a baby powder canister.

Garcia admitted to the crime saying Dolores usually drove the couple's car every weekday and he did not know it was Ciriaco he had killed.

In front of Police Regional Office-7 director Chief Supt. Lani-O Nerez, Garcia admitted he wanted to kill Dolores, chief of the maintenance section of DPWH 1st Engineering District, because of his anger at being fired.

"Ako siya gipangutana nganong hate man siya kaayo nako, ngano iya man ko gikulban sa kaldero, pareha mi naa'y mga anak. Di pa g'yud siya ang nagpasulod nako. Iya unta ko giingnan na pag-hinay-hinay na og pangita og trabaho kay tangtangunon ta ka. Largo ra man," he said.

In a television report, Agbay, said he has been bothered by his conscience since the incident last Thursday so he decided to surrender to Pe yesterday morning.

He, however, denied conniving with Garcia and said he was only paid P400 to drive Garcia but he did not know that they will shoot someone.

"Iya lang ko giingnan na overtake diha bay 'nya mao na dayon 'to, namusil siya. Pirteng kuyawa nako. Wala g'yud ko kahibaw na mao diay 'to iyang buhaton," he said, adding that Garcia threatened to kill him if he would not keep mum on the incident.

The police said they will study if they can make Agbay a state witness.

Garcia is now detained at the CCPO stockade.

As to rumors that the suspects behind the spate of killings in the city and province are vigilantes, Comendador said: "This will discount speculations that vigilantes were behind the attack because it turned out that the motives are personal grudge and job-related."

Comendador said the availability of firearms also gives miscreants the opportunity to carry out crimes.

Ciriaco, an engineer of DPWH 4th engineering district, died of three gunshot wounds to body during the attack. Dolores survived unscathed.

In another development, the suspect in the shooting of a deliveryman in sitio Sambag, Barangay Punta Princesa, Cebu City, last Friday, was arrested 9 p.m. the other night.

Francisco Canencia Alvarez, 38, of Doña Maria 1, Punta Princesa Cebu City, was arrested by SPO1 Bezaleel Olmedo and PO2 Ruben Quita of Cebu City Police Office.

He was positively identified by two witnesses as the one who shot Rufino Deresas at the corner F. Llamas and Taurus streets in Guadalupe village, Punta Princesa, while he was delivering delicacies to different stores in the city.

Quita said that the motive of the said ambush was a personal grudge between the victim and the suspect.

Meanwhile, alarmed by the recent killings, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday called for a campaign against loose firearms in the province.

"The bottom line is daghan loose firearms and it's so easy to get an unlicensed gun so we are also going to look into the strict inventory of these firearms especially that we have many gun manufacturing plants here," the governor said.

Garcia said that there will be a province-wide campaign against loose firearms and called for the creation of a task force on loose firearms. - Niña G. Sumacot, Flor Z. Perolina and Ellenie Irine Apuya, PIT intern/BRP (THE FREEMAN)