Suspects in Nueva Ecija mayor’s slay nabbed in Camarines Sur

MANILA, Philippines — Police arrested yesterday two suspects in the July 3 murder of mayor Ferdinand Bote of General Tinio, Nueva Ecija.

Chief Supt. Arnel Escobal, Bicol police director, identified the suspects as Florencio Suarez, 48, and Robert Gumacay, 35.

Escobal said the suspects were stopped at a checkpoint around 9:30 a.m. along the Andaya National Highway in Barangay Cabasag in Del Gallego, Camarines Sur. The two were  in a beige Toyota Avanza with license plate PGQ 134.

A team led by Senior Police Officer 4 Agusto Adulta manned the checkpoint.

Escobal said Suarez, driver of the Avanza, is one of the prime suspects in the killing of Bote.

Bote was shot by one of three suspects while the mayor was in a Toyota Fortuner that had just come out of the gate of the National Irrigation  Administration office in Cabanatuan City.

Bote had a quarry business in Nueva Ecija, which investigators are eyeing as among three possible motives for the killing of the mayor, said Central Luzon police director Chief Supt. Amador Corpus.

The other two angles are business rivalry over government projects and local politics.

Bote was killed a day after mayor Antonio Halili of Tanauan, Batangas was shot dead by a sniper during flag-raising ceremonies at the Tanauan municipal hall last July 2. No suspect has been arrested in Halili’s murder.

Escobal said a .45 caliber pistol was recovered from Suarez. The two suspects were brought to the Del Gallego police station.

Bicol police spokesperson Senior Inspector Maria Luisa Calubaquib said Del Gallego Police set up the checkpoint after receiving information from the police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Central Luzon on the presence of the beige Avanza that was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera near the area were Bote was killed.

Calubaguib said the suspects are now under the custody of the Camarines Sur CIDG led by Chief Insp. Ronnie Sadia.

He said the Bicol police would turn over the suspects to Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City for further investigation.

PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said yesterday there are six to seven more persons that could be involved in the murder of Bote.

He said among them is the person who provided refuge to Bote’s attackers in Cabanatuan City.

Albayalde refused to give more details.

Getaway vehicle

Police yesterday recovered the alleged getaway vehicle of the suspects who killed vice mayor Alexander Lubigan of Trece Martires City, Cavite last Saturday.

According to Supt. Chitadel Gaoiran, spokesperson for Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) police, the black Toyota Hilux pickup was found abandoned on the Mabacao-Pantihan bridge in Barangay Tulay B in Maragondon, Cavite at around 6:55 a.m.

Gaoiran said the vehicle had no license plates.

Maragondon police chief Senior Inspector Rez Alovera said barangay officials reported the abandoned vehicle to the police.

Alovera said they are looking for witnesses who may have seen the person who left the pickup truck.

Probers said the recovered pickup allegedly used by the suspects was caught by a CCTV camera near the crime scene in Trece Martires.

Lubigan and his aide Romulo Guilemer were killed when they were ambushed in Barangay Luciano in Trece Martires. –  With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Ed Amoroso, Cet Dematera, Celso Amo, Raymund Catindig