Superintendent Billy Beltran, Valenzuela City police chief, identified the suspect as Roberto Ursual, a former Valenzuela resident and now a farmer in Barangay Palid-palid, Leyte.
Senior Police Officer 4 Manolito Manalo said Ursual was wanted for the Dec. 19, 2004 murder of Jowie Leuterio, 22. Ursual was arrested by the combined team of Senior Police Officer 2 Rodrigo Fariñas, Police Officer 3 Marcial Galang of the Valenzuela police and Senior Police Officer 1 Canas and Police Officer 3 Mercurio of the Leyte police.
A tip from Leuterio’s relatives led to Ursual’s arrest. He was found in his Leyte hometown where he easily blended in the community as a farmer, said Manalo.
Ursual is now behind bars at the Valenzuela police station awaiting the reopening of the murder case filed against him. — Jerry Botial