Ex-Abra governor arrested for rival's murder

MANILA, Philippines - Former Abra governor Vicente Isidro Valera, the alleged mastermind in the murder of his political rival Luis Bersamin Jr. in a church compound in 2006, was arrested at a posh condominium building in Rockwell Center, Makati Tuesday night.

“Finally we were able to catch up with him in his condominium unit after a massive manhunt, utilizing contacts and surveillance,” Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag of the Quezon City Police District told The STAR early morning yesterday hours after the arrest.

“We arrested ex-governor Valera in Rockwell at around 10 p.m. He has been turned over to the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center at Camp Crame,” Mabanag added.

The QCPD arresting team was accompanied by members of the Makati police led by Senior Superintendent Cedric Train and former QCPD head Director Magtanggol Gatdula when they swooped down on Valera’s unit at Hidalgo Towers in Rockwell Center.

Mabanag, who now heads the QCPD’s District Mobile Group, was then the chief of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit that handled the investigation of the killing and the filing of the case against Valera – who had been tagged by his co-accused in the Bersamin slay case – before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office on Feb. 16 last year.

Policemen were armed with an arrest warrant dated Aug. 10 issued by Judge Luisito Cortez of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 84 for the two counts of murder and another issued by Judge Ma. Lourdes Giron of the QC RTC Branch 102 dated May 12 for the frustrated murder case.

No bail was recommended for the murder charges while bail has been set at P200,000 for the frustrated murder case.

“We were initially met by his (Valera’s) daughter and we were initially told he wasn’t there but we were certain he was inside the unit so we insisted on effecting the arrest,” Mabanag said.

Gatdula said that while the daughter was denying that her father was inside the unit, Valera came out and faced the arresting authorities.

Valera was accompanied by his daughter Anne and wife Ching when brought for medical examination at the PNP General Hospital and later to the Custodial Center for booking.

Gatdula said Valera hinted about wanting to see him to explain his side on the slay case when he was still director of QCPD.

At the time, Gatdula said there was still no warrant of arrest for Valera. But the former governor went into hiding after he was arrested for a traffic violation and guns were seized from his vehicle.

Gatdula expressed confidence that Valera’s arrest would also serve as a confidence building measure to ease the remaining political tensions in Abra, which he said “has long experienced a dark history of political violence particularly during the incumbency of Valera as governor.”

A tale of murder

According to Mabanag, the authorities had attempted to tail the former Abra governor in different places all over Metro Manila and in provinces like Laguna and Pangasinan after the issuance of the arrest warrants.

During Tuesday night’s arrest, a number of policemen, including those from the Special Weapons and Tactics teams from both the QCPD and the Makati police station, secured the perimeter of the condominium building.

Along with Valera, seven others were included in the charge sheet that was filed last year, which also covered another count of murder for the death of Bersamin’s bodyguard and two counts of frustrated murder for the injuries sustained by two others during the killing that occurred in December 2006 in Quezon City.

Bersamin’s police bodyguard, Senior Police Officer 1 Adelfo Ortega, also died during the incident outside of the Mt. Carmel Church after the former lawmaker attended a wedding.

Two other victims – parking attendant Rolly Boy Labaja and Bersamin’s driver Allan Sawadan – were injured during the shooting.

Apart from Valera, those who were charged were the alleged triggerman Jerry Turqueza, Sergeant Leo Bello, an alleged New People’s Army commander in Abra named “Uncle” and four others identified only as Jun, Jeff-Jeff, Mel, and Ka Dado.

Bello surrendered yesterday to the QCPD, while Turqueza remains at large.

The charges were based on the testimonies of former La Paz town vice mayor Freddie Dupo and Sonny Taculao, who were earlier charged along with former Army master sergeant Rufino Panday.

Mabanag said that on Dec. 20, 2007, Dupo, while in detention, gave his sworn statement and identified Valera as the alleged mastermind behind the killing.

“They planned the killing of Rep. Bersamin in Nalinac Beach in Bauang, La Union and he (Dupo) was tapped to look for a person who can guide the hit men to Mount Carmel Church (in Quezon City),” Mabanag said in the charge sheet.

Dupo, according to Mabanag, stated that he recommended Taculao, who is his cousin, to do the job. Taculao also told police that Dupo introduced him to a group led by a certain “Uncle” in an apartelle along E. Rodriguez Sr. Boulevard in Quezon City.

“Therein, he met the group he only identified as Jerry Turqueza, Jun, Ka Dado, Jeff-Jeff and Uncle. All of them came from Abra and were not familiar with the streets of the city, particularly the vicinity of Mt. Carmel Church where the planned assassination was to be perpetrated,” Mabanag said.

Mabanag said Taculao told them that the man named Uncle told him not to worry “since it was the project of the Abra governor.”

Elated

The family of Bersamin, meanwhile, was elated with the recent developments.

“We are glad that he (Valera) is finally in the hands of authorities. The wheels of justice would now start grinding,” Abra Gov. Eustaquio Bersamin told The STAR.

The family handed to the informant the P500,000 reward in Camp Crame for tipping authorities on the whereabouts of the former Abra governor.

Director Eugene Martin, head of the PNP directorate for intelligence, broke the news of Valera’s arrest to the Bersamin family.

He said Bersamin’s eldest daughter, Charry, shouted with joy upon hearing the arrest and together the family thanked God.

“After almost three long years of waiting, we are now reaching the light at the end of the tunnel with regard to the death of my elder brother,” said Gov. Bersamin, even as he refused to delve on the merits of the case.

He said he has complete faith in the leadership of Verzosa, who worked hard to give justice to his slain brother.

The family had offered a P250,000 reward for the capture of Valera and P100,000 for Bello.

Friends and supporters of Bersamin in Abra doubled the amount to hasten the suspects’ arrest. – With Non Alquitran, Artemio Dumlao, Mike Frialde