Swordsman, 2 others nabbed

Three more suspects, including the "swordsman" who allegedly beheaded three boys in Quezon City were arrested during a series of follow-up operations on Monday night by operatives of the Central Police District in Barangay Culiat.

The three men are said to be police "assets," investigators said

Police identified the suspects as Romeo Aguado, 31, alias Hapon; Almario Bernardino, 32, alias Toto; and Rommel Villas, 33, all residents of Luzon Avenue, Barangay Culiat, Quezon City. Bernardino and Villas are pedicab drivers.

According to investigators, Aguado was the one who beheaded victims Kenny Azana, 16, Rolando Popanes, 18 and a boy, identified only as a certain Badjao, with a samurai.

The headless bodies of the victims were recovered in a grassy vacant lot inside Cresta Verde Subdivision, Sta. Monica, Novaliches, Quezon City last April 16.

Aside from the arrest of the suspects, operatives of the CPD-Intelligence Unit also seized a red Toyota Corolla with license plate PWV-499, the vehicle allegedly used by the suspects in bringing the three victims to Barangay Sauyo in Novaliches where they were tortured, killed and later beheaded.

Police investigators said that the area is just a few minutes away by car from where the bodies were found.

The investigation of the case broke open this week when a mute witness, 22-year-old Gerry Franco surfaced and recounted to police investigators how the victims were killed.

During police interrogation, Aguado admitted to investigators that he beheaded the boys on orders of two policemen, PO3 Mario Morales and P02 Dennis Blasco, both assigned to CPD-Station 6 (Batasan Hills). Morales is now detained at the CPD detention cell while Blasco remains at large.

Unlike Aguado, Bernardino and Villas vehemently denied participation in the gruesome killings, saying Aguado only implicated them because he was harboring a grudge against them.

A police source said the victims as well as the three suspects were "police assets," who usually give investigators information from the "underground" to help solve pending cases .

However, the source added, there are times when the police informers are utilized by unscrupulous policemen to perform "criminal activities" for material gain.

"Apparently, something might have gone wrong between the policemen and these assets. That must have triggered the killings," said the source.

On the other hand, the source said he was not discounting the possibility that the beheading of the victims was a result of "summary executions" by cops wanting to issue a warning to criminal elements in Quezon City.