Charges filed vs Hilongos blast suspects

PALO, LEYTE, Philippines — Frustrated murder charges had been filed before the Assistant Provincial Prosecutors Office in Hilongos, Leyte against the suspects in the bombing during a fiesta event in Hilongos town on December 28 last year.

Senior Superintendent Elizar Egloso, head of the Police Regional Office-8’s Community Relations, in a press statement said the case filed is docketed as I.S. No. 02f-inv 17b-00015, dated February 22, 2017.

Egloso said the charges were filed by the PRO-8’s Special Investigation Task Group against 26-year-old  Anthony Jake Macuto, alias "Yusuf Perez Macuto," three other John Does, a Balik Islam man, and a known member of the Maute Group

Macuto and the other respondents, whose identifications are still being ascertained, were responsible for masterminding the explosion, during a boxing event at the Hilongos public plaza that injured 35 people.

In a news conference, PRO-8 Director Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar said the filing of the criminal cases against the suspects is considered that the case is solved, on the part of the police, and he was hoping the identities of Macuto's companion be revealed soon with the cooperation of some witnesses.

Beltejar also said Macuto, whose group was also linked into ISIS was also one of the suspect in the attempted bombing at the US Embassy in Manila. He told reporters that the special investigation task group is still conducting intensive probe to determine the identification of the other suspects.

Senior Supt. Allan Cuevillas, commander of the Hilongos bombing special investigation group, said that after close to two months of investigation they finally identified Macuto as the perpetrator who was part of the Maute group that initiated the bombing.

"As such we were able to confirm that Macuto is member of Maute, based on the intelligence report, prompting us file the criminal charges against them, while the police are still tracking them down,” said Cuevillas.

The Intelligence community of the 8th Infantry Division, headed by Major General Raul Farnacio, played a major role in the investigation and the immediate identification of Macuto, according to Beltejar.

Prior to the Hilongos bombing, Macuto and his group were seen in Dolores town of Eastern Samar and in other parts of the province where there are a huge number of Muslim community, recruiting and conducting some teachings of the Muslim religion.

Beltejar assured the people of Region 8 that, for now, there is no terror threats coming from the Maute group or other groups that will affect the peace and order in the region. "We are not however discounting any possibilities, but we are ahead in preemptive measures against any terror attack in my area of responsibility."

In the meantime, the PRO-8 has been encouraging the public to report immediately to the police any suspicious persons and items, and help the police and other law enforcement agencies by providing relevant and timely information leading to the identification and eventual arrest of the suspects. (FREEMAN)