2 minors, 4 others admit involvement in shootings

CEBU, Philippines - Six people including two minors admitted participation in the series of drive-by shooting in Cebu City in recent months together with their triggerman, Rene “Insik” Baclaan, who was arrested early last month.

“Their arrest was indeed a blessing in disguise. We never expected that they were the ones we were looking for. They are the missing link,” said City Intelligence Chief Romeo Santander.

Nelgin Briones Dacalso, 27; Merion Carl Camomot, 27; Mar Joseph Abellanosa, 18; Ernesto Andog, 24; a 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl reportedly admitted during interrogation their participation in the recent attacks. 

They were also tagged in the string of robbery incidents in the city in the past weeks.

Santander said all six identified Baclaan as their acquaintance and the group did the crimes in random and for fun. The police are still looking for two other accomplices whom they only identify as Bosyong and Kabang.

Aside from the statements of the six suspects, Santander said a cross-matching of evidence in previous drive-by attacks coincide with those recovered from the suspects during their arrest last Monday.

“Ballistics result of the suspects’ guns matched with shells recovered from the crime scenes,” he said.

The mother of the 15-year-old suspect was shocked of her son’s admission of guilt. Some victims of the drive-by attacks have also positively identified the car and the last three digits of the plate number as the one used in the attack.

“I never knew what my son was doing. I never noticed anything odd aside from the recent late night project-making,” she said. She also noticed nothing bad with his new friends.

The mother was shocked during police investigation when Camomot, one of the suspects, told her that they leased her son’s gray car in the past months. –(FREEMAN)