Suspects in Caloocan grenade blast identified

At least five suspects in last Friday’s grenade attack at the wake of the father of a key witness in the killing of RPN-9 television news cameraman Ralph Ruñez in Caloocan City have been identified, police said yesterday.

Two mourners were killed and 21 others, including children, were wounded.

Senior Superintendent Geronimo Reside, Caloocan City police chief, said the suspects were being tracked down. Police sketches of the suspects have been released to the media.

Reside refused to give names until charges are filed with the Caloocan City prosecutor’s office. We are now preparing the direct filing of charges against the suspects and after that we will name them," he told The STAR.

This is the same group of persons who gunned down Celerino Galarce," Reside added, referring to the father of key witness Charles Galarce.

Celerino Galarce, a tricycle driver, was gunned down on Nov. 6 by a motorcycle-riding suspect while picking up passengers in Tala, Caloocan City North.

His wake was attacked last Friday night wherein unidentified men hurled three grenades in the middle of the mourners, killing Roberto Rabatong and Imelda Omadto-de la Cruz.

Reside assured Charles Galarce, who earlier appealed for police protection, that they will look after the safety of his wife, son, his younger brother and his mother.

Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon also assured Galarce of protection for him and his family.

"We are committed to protect witnesses. If anything happens to our witness, it would constitute a setback on police efforts to give justice not only to the family of Ruñez but to Galarce as well," Calderon stated in a written directive to the Northern Police District and the Caloocan City police.

According to Reside, the group responsible for the series of killings in Caloocan in connection with Ruñez’s case is "organized and well-equipped."

Asked whether some crooked police officials are behind the criminal group, Reside said: "Just wait after we file the case and we will name names."

According to Galarce, all his relatives have left to ensure their safety. He vowed to testify against his former gang despite threats. "I no longer have fear. I have accepted whatever God has in store for me. I leave it to God," he told reporters.

Galarce said he left his old ways when he survived an attempt on his life by his former gang. He was one of the original planners of the Ruñez robbery last July that resulted in the cameraman’s death when he tried to put up a fight.

Galarce backed out before the plan was carried out, prompting his former gang buddies to silence him. They shot him and left him for dead but he survived to tell his story, resulting in the arrest of police officers Inspector Bryan Limbo and PO2 Aristotle de Guzman, and Ernani Magnayon.

Magnayon, who cooperated with the police, was accidentally shot dead inside the Caloocan City jail by jail guard Ricardo Zulueta last Oct. 6. Police could not immediately determine if Magnayon’s death was connected to the Ruñez case.

Limbo and De Guzman are still locked up in jail. Sources said they were keeping cell phones, which is against jail security regulations.

They are not the boss, someone bigger is behind them," Galarce said. He has asked the National Bureau of Investigation to help speed up his transfer into the government’s witness protection program.

"He asked that his request to be placed in the witness protection program be expedited," said agent Arnel Dalumpines, head of the NBI’s special task force. Two agents have been sent to Galarce, currently in the custody of Caloocan City deputy chief Superintendent Napoleon Cuaton.

Dalumpines said last week’s grenade attack has prompted them to speed things up. "We were overtaken by events."

The NBI is expanding the investigation because of the attack, including Magnayon’s death, Dalumpines said. "We want to ask Zulueta (the jail guard) questions such as who were those present at the time of the shooting and was it really an accident."

Magnayon was killed by a bullet from Zulueta’s gun but he tested negative for gunpowder burns, indicating that he did not fire the gun. Zulueta is currently detained at the Caloocan City jail. — With Evelyn Macairan, Cecille Suerte Felipe