BACOLOD CITY — The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office has made a breakthrough in the killing of a Barangay Santa Rosa councilor in Murcia, Negros Occidental, following the arrests of two of four identified suspects.
Authorities first arrested “Jo,” a 42-year-old construction worker and resident of Barangay Santa Rosa, in Barangay Zone 2, Murcia.
Jo ranked ninth on the regional most-wanted list, according to the Police Regional Office-Negros Island Region.
In a separate operation, authorities arrested “Angi,” a 52-year-old construction worker and resident of the same barangay, in Barangay Zone 2.
Investigators with the Special Investigation Task Group identified the two suspects and two others after pursuing multiple leads, police said.
Police filed murder charges against the four suspects on Feb. 13.
Police Brig. Gen. Romano Cardiño, PRO-NIR director, said in a statement that the arrests marked a significant step toward securing justice for the barangay official.
“But our work does not end here. We will continue to pursue every lead, strengthen our intelligence and investigative efforts, and intensify operations to locate the remaining accused,” he added.
Cardiño said police would remain relentless until all those responsible were brought before the law through lawful, intelligence-driven and evidence-based operations.
“We ensure that all individuals found responsible are held accountable through the proper legal processes,” he said.
The victim, 59-year-old Barangay Councilor Joe Arnel Gawan, had just stepped out of a vehicle after participating in a community cleanup drive when he was fatally shot, early this year. (Glazyl M. Jopson via tdg Photo by tdg)