Suspect in Quezon PNP director’s slay arrested

Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna — Combined elements of the military and the police arrested one of the two suspects in the killing of a former Quezon police director while hiding in a safehouse in Rizal Province early this morning, police said.

Senior Superintendent Leo Kison, Quezon provincial director, identified the suspect as Apolonio Publico Zara, alias Ka Poloy, 27, a resident of Barangay Cabuyao, Padre Burgos, Quezon and an alleged leader of the Sparrow Unit under the Ulpiano Anareta Command of the New People’s Army (NPA).

A report reaching the office of Region 4 (Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon) Director police Chief Superintendent Jesus Versoza, said that combined elements of the 2nd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army, Southern Luzon Command, police forces from Quezon and Rizal Provincial Office swooped down at the safehouse of Zara in Barangay Lagundi, Morong , Rizal and arrested him at around 8:30 a.m.

Ka Poloy was positively identified by witnesses that he was the one who shot Eduardo Sebastian, last Jan. 12 in front of his house in RGR Subdivision, Barangay Kanlurang Mayao, Lucena City.

Sebastian was waiting for a friend to play golf when Ka Poloy, together with a still unidentified companion, appeared and allegedly fired at him several times.

Two of the bullets struck his head. Police also found 12 empty shells of caliber .45 and caliber .9mm pistol at the crime scene.

The NPA owned up to the killing and accused Sebastian of committing human rights violations when he was still a military intelligence officer in Southern Tagalog during the Marcos regime.

NPA spokesman Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal likewise said in an interview that Sebastian was meted the death penalty by the communist movement for his alleged role in the abduction and summary execution of communist rebels in the 1970s.

Kison commended the team that arrested Zara, wo is now detained here while waiting for murder charges to be filed against him.