Convicted killer of Masbate mayor shot dead inside NBP

MANILA, Philippines - One of the convicted killers of former Masbate City mayor Moises Espinosa Jr. was gunned down by a fellow inmate inside the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City late Thursday afternoon, a prison official said.

Bureau of Corrections (Bucor) Director Ricardo Rainier Cruz III yesterday identified the victim as Charlie Quidato, a leader of the Commando Gang who was serving jail term for the murder of Espinosa during a fiesta at barangay Bantique in Masbate City on Aug. 9, 2001.

Investigators said that Quidato’s assailant Ronald Catapang, who is also a Commando gang member, shot the victim with a Magnum 357 revolver inside dormitory 9 at about 5:20 p.m. on Thursday.

The victim sustained two gunshot wounds and died on the spot.

Responding prison guards rushed to the scene and arrested the suspect.

Prison spokesman Fr. Bobby Olaguer said, prison guards seized 14 assorted handguns that included a Magnum 357 revolver, a Cal. 40 pistol, a Cal. 45 and 9 mm pistols; a hand grenade, two refrigerators and an air conditioning unit during a search of the prison cells after the shooting incident.

Also recovered during the overnight sweep of the prison dormitory was a remote control drone.

Cruz said the drone was only a toy and not fitted with cameras or any other gadget.

An ongoing investigation is being conducted on the entry of firearms and contraband inside the maximum security compound.

“We are determining if the weapons and contraband were remnants of previous sweeping operation inside the prison,” he said.

Catapang has been detained in a separate holding cell pending investigation and filing of criminal charges.

The remains of Quidato will be turned over to family members.

Quidato and three others were convicted of murdering  Espinosa 14 years ago. Quidato was committed to the NBP in 2012 after being sentenced to life in prison.

Espinosa was gunned down during a fiesta in the coastal barangay of Bantigue in 2001. Three civilians also died in the shooting incident.

The Espinosa clan has long been involved in Masbate politics, together with the Kho and Fernandez families for political control over the province.

Moises Jr. was the third member of the family who was killed in alleged political assassinations.

His father, Rep. Moises Espinosa Sr. was murdered on March 17, 1989 at the Masbate airport while his uncle Tito Espinosa, also a congressman, was assassinated at Batasan Road corner Commonwealth Avenue near the House of Representatives in Quezon City on Feb. 27, 1995.

In April 2012, six suspects were convicted for conspiring to kill Moises Jr. and were sentenced to life imprisonment, including Quidato, who was a former provincial jail warden.

A Manila court has also sentenced Quidato’s brother Isagani, former jail guard Ramilo Ayque and inmate Alex Alteza to life imprisonment while their co-perpetrators, Dindo Niez and Pio Badaguas, were meted more than 20 years in jail.  

NBP officials said that after the Quidato killing, jail guards were able to recover the murder weapon and there was no standoff as the suspect voluntarily surrendered.

Cruz said the shooting incident was apparently an offshoot of the power struggle between the gang members to fill the vacuum left by high profile inmate Jayvee Sebastian, who was transferred to a newly built prison facility for high profile inmates.

Cruz also clarified that there was no standoff when Sebastian was transferred to the high security cell early this month.

Earlier reports said Sebastian, armed with a high-powered rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest, resisted his transfer to the prison facility.

“There was no standoff. Sebastian did not resist his transfer,” Cruz said.

Cruz said after the sweeping operations, activities inside the prison compound returned to normal.

“There was no lockdown and visitors were allowed to visit their relatives inside the maximum security compound,” Cruz said. – With Charmie Joy Pagulong