Police in Abra municipality augmented due to killings
A 21-man team from the Cordillera police was deployed yesterday to Bucay, Abra to put an end to political killings there.
The team from the Regional Mobile Group (RMG) at
“While the local police force is busy following up a number of vendetta killings in Bucay town, the RMG would conduct operations against loose and unregistered firearms,” said Chief Superintendent Eugene Martin, Cordillera police director.
Martin decided to augment the Bucay police force following the killing last Oct. 5 of councilor Juanito Zales, a close ally of former Abra governor Vicente Valera.
Police strongly believe that revenge motivated the ambush-slaying of Zales, a retired policeman.
In his report to Martin, Senior Superintendent Alexander Pumecha, Abra police director, said Zales was the prime suspect in the killing of barangay chairmen Eduardo Gonzales and Eddie Tadeo during the last May elections.
Zales’ son Judor is presently behind bars as the principal suspect in Gonzales’ killing.
Prior to his death, Zales appeared before Floriane Bernardez, clerk of court of the Abra Regional Trial Court, and pleaded that the case of his son be downgraded to homicide for him to post bail.
Bernardez was shot while closing her store in Poblacion South.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has placed Abra and
Martin said the RMG team would help bring normalcy to Bucay town during and after the election period.
The RMG team, according to Martin, will set up checkpoints in strategic entry and exit points of the town to enforce the Comelec’s gun ban and other election rules.
“We are also in the process of determining who among the residents have guns with expired licenses so we could confiscate them in favor of the government,” he added.
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