CEBU, Philippines - An alleged hit man of the bloods gang has been tagged responsible for the series of drive-by shootings in Cebu City.
Police yesterday presented Rhene “Insik” Bacalaan, 22, of Sitio Suran, Quiot Cebu City, as the alleged gunman in three separate drive-by shooting incidents in the city.
City Intelligence Chief Romeo Santander said they arrested Bacalaan at his hideout in the southern part of the city. Police recovered a caliber .45 pistol with eight live rounds, a bonnet and seven empty shells from a caliber .45 pistol at the hideout. They suspect the guns were what Bacalaan used in the drive-by attacks.
They reportedly failed to arrest him sooner because Bacalaan reportedly fled to Talisay City and Minglanilla town.
The Investigation and Detective Management Branch confirmed Bacalaan’s involvement in the shootings in Barangay Guadalupe, Kinasang-an and Bulacao.
Santander refused to divulge the location of Bacalaan’s hideout, as surveillance is ongoing on three other men believed to be his cohorts.
Bacalaan had denied involvement in the shootings, but said he knew the three men onboard the grey sedan described by witnesses as the vehicle used in three incidents.
“I know the three men onboard the grey sedan. They are also gang members,” Bacalaan said in Cebuano.
Santander said Bacalaan is the hit man of Bloods gang and has been tagged in several other shooting incidents in Barangay Quiot and neighboring areas the past years.
Santander said that during interrogation, Bacalaan reportedly admitted his involvement in the Kinasang-an drive-by shooting last February 15 wherein three members of Crips, a rival gang of Bloods, were shot.
Bacalaan also reportedly admitted that the attack was a payback of sorts after he was shot roughly two years ago during a gang war. The bullet that hit his head is reportedly still lodged on his left part of his skull, Santander quoted Bacalaan as saying.
Bacalaan’s mother, Nita, claimed her son had nothing to do with the drive-by shooting. She said barangay officials and several policemen suddenly stormed their house and cuffed his son without reason.
However, the father of a 17-year-old boy who was shot at the Kinasang-an incident, positively identified Bacalaan as the one who shot his son, a member of the Crips gang. His other son, a 16-year-old boy, was also reportedly shot by the other suspects on board the grey sedan.
PO1 Robert Amascual, a resident of San Carlos Subdivision, Barangay Quiot, said he had a near death experience with Bacalaan who allegedly shot him on November 30, 2011.
Amascual described the suspect as a notorious trouble maker in their barangay.
In a separate incident, an alleged gun-for-hire was arrested in Sanciangko Street near the Forbes Bridge along Magallanes Street this city.
Police arrested Arnel “Budlat” Gomez, 34, of Balagtas Street, Barangay Pahina Central following a chase. Cops cornered Gomez in the interior portion of Barangay San Nicolas inside the house of his friend, a certain “Opao,” who evaded arrest.
It was alleged that Gomez was hired to kill Barangay Intelligence Network member Catalino Entoma Jr. and former police asset Michael Moralde in separate incidents last week, Santander said.
Recovered from the Gomez possession was a caliber .45 pistol while a KG9 Sub-Machine pistol, two digital cameras and several drug paraphernalia were recovered from Opao’s residence. – (FREEMAN)