Caloocan cop, 4 others nabbed for slay of vice mayor's kin

MANILA, Philippines - A rookie police officer and four other suspects were arrested for the alleged murder of a Bulacan vice mayor’s nephew Saturday night in Caloocan City.

Superintendent Florendo Quibuyen, Caloocan City acting police chief, identified the suspects as Police Officer 1 Reynaldo Nuque, assigned at the Caloocan City police North Extension Office (NEO); Willy Lopez Ciano, resident of Taytay, Rizal; Robin Barlan and Joseph de la Cruz, both of Valenzuela City; and Christopher Dikit, resident of Meycauayan, Bulacan.

The suspects were arrested for the alleged abduction and killing of Jess Noel Litao, nephew of Bulacan Vice Mayor Alberto Bituin.

Police recovered from Ciano a .45 caliber pistol with bullets and impounded the suspects’ getaway vehicle, a white Mitsubishi Adventure (ZRN-604).

Superintendent Rio Gatacilo, assistant chief for operations of the Caloocan City police and the concurrent chief of the North Caloocan City police station, said that at around 7 p.m., he received information that armed men on board a white Mitsubishi Adventure shot dead a man in front of a resort in Barangay Bagbaguin. The police were told that the gunmen escaped toward the boundary of Caloocan City and Meycauayan, Bulacan.

Gatacilo, with Senior Inspector Ronald Perilla, of NEO, hunted down the suspects and in coordination with the Bulacan police officers intercepted the gunmen’s getaway vehicle in Barangay Cupang in Meycauayan and arrested its occupants.

“The suspects’ getaway vehicle was immediately cornered for its license plate and its description correspond with the witnesses’ accounts,” Gatacilo told The STAR. He said that Nuque was transferred to NEO from Caloocan City police main station only on June 4 but since then failed to report for his duty.

Gatacilo said the suspects reportedly snatched Litao somewhere in Bulacan, Bulacan and killed him “in my area.”

“We have information that Ciano acted on the complaint of one of his nephews that Litao reportedly have an illicit affair with his nephew’s wife. Ciano denied this, but we are conducting a deeper investigation into the case,” Gatacilo said.

Gatacilo said the family of Bituin coordinated with him yesterday, and were already on their way to the Caloocan City police station to give more information into the case.