Vizcaya board member, sister, 2 others charged with murder

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — Murder charges have been filed against four people, including a provincial board member here and his sister, for last month’s killing of a former US Navy man.

Charged were board member Clemente Bacani, businessman Jolly Zapata, former barangay chairman Sidioc Uy and Melonie Bacani-Afalla, Bacani’s sister and estranged wife of the murder victim, Henry Afalla. Two John Does were included in the case.

The 48-year-old Henry Afalla, who hailed from Bagabag town, was shot dead inside his van in Solano town on the night of Dec. 9.

A naturalized US citizen, Afalla was vacationing here when he was slain.

His father, Florencio Afalla Sr., and brother Florencio Jr., also both US citizens, formally filed the murder case last Dec. 29.

Bacani has been on leave from the provincial board since last year. He and his sister Melonie are reportedly in California.

In a sworn affidavit, Affala Sr. said the killing might have something to do with the divorce case his son had lodged against Melonie. The couple have two children.

His son, he said, left about $5 million worth of properties which he had raised during his US Navy stint and later as a businessman, apart from $500,000 in insurance and death benefits.

In his affidavit, he accused the Bacani siblings of having allegedly "planned and induced and helped one another to kill my son."

Affidavits were also executed by Florencio Affala Jr. and Ma. Lourdes Catacutan, Henry’s live-in partner.