CEBU, Philippines- At least eight Minglanilla Police Station personnel, including the station’s chief, were given commendation by the Cebu Police Provincial Office yesterday morning for the speedy solution of the murder of the mother and child who were found in a septic tank inside their house in Minglanilla town last month.
Chief Inspector Richard Gadingan, station chief, who received the award on behalf of the station, said he was pleased with the commendation because the provincial headquarters valued their accomplishment in solving the case of the death of Virginia Sharpe and daughter Mica Ella, 11.
The recipients of the commendation were SPO2 Oliver Dacua, SPO1 Renato Masangcay, SPO1 Romeo Barde, PO2 Evelino Selloria, PO2 Arnel Resente and PO2 Mary Christie Nacario.
Gadingan, in an interview, said that the accomplishment could not be possible if not for the effort of the whole Minglanilla police force.
But he highlighted the extra-ordinary effort of the seven police personnel who were also cited in the commendation.
Gadingan said that the commendation reinforced their commitment to better serve the people of Minglanilla and is also a manifestation that the police are there to do their sworn duty which is to serve and protect the people.
Gadingan said three hours after the discovery of the bodies, the police personnel were able to arrest the suspects.
Virginia and Mica Ella were found dead inside the septic tank of their residence at Deca Homes 2, Barangay Tungkil, Minglanilla on August 20, 2015.
Several friends and neighbors of the victims were trying to locate them after they have not seen the Sharpes for almost a week.
The school teachers of Mica Ella, who was a candidate for valedictorian, were also looking for her after she failed to take the exams.
The neighbors suspected that something must have happened to them because the appliances inside the house were still on so they asked for the assistance of the police.
When the police opened the house, they were welcomed by a foul smell coming from the septic tank where the bodies were later found.
Manuel Labrador, Espelito Ricamora and George Baquiran, who were hired by Virginia for some construction work in the house, were later arrested. (FREEMAN)