Police eye link of Fajardo gang
BALOLONG MURDER
LINGAYEN—Was the notorious “Fajardo Group” behind the assassination of Urbiztondo Mayor Ernesto Balolong and killing of two others last June 7?
This is what police operatives are looking into four suspects believed to be part of the notorious “Fajardo Group” who were arrested in a raid in Laguna Thursday.
P/Chief Inspector Lucrisio Rodrigiza, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief in Pangasinan, told The PUNCH Friday that the link of the group to the mayor’s killing will be confirmed by the results of the cross matching examination and ballistics test on the firearms seized in the raid and the empty shells gathered at the crime scene.
He added that the group’s involvement in the murder would be further confirmed if witnesses can positively identify the arrested suspects in the Laguna operation based on their pictures as the same suspects seen who boarded a getaway vehicle after Balolong, his police escort PO1 Eliseo Ulanday and supermarket employee Edmund Meneses, were gunned down.
Three others were wounded in the murder of Balolong.
“But nothing confirmed or no basis yet to link them (those arrested in Laguna) directly at this time to the Balolong case,” he said.
The police was working on intelligence report that the Fajardo group was involved in the Balolong killing and the guns used in the murder are under the arrested suspects’ custody.
In a separate report from the Philippine National Police Regional Office 1, dated Sept. 18 signed by Chief Superintendent Roman Felix, acting regional director regarding the search warrants against George Fajardo and Ricardo de Rueda, copy of which was furnished The PUNCH, it that,” In reference to the Oplan 01-2014 “GF” of this office, continuous intelligence operations were made that resulted in follow-up operations with the objective to recover and seized (sic) the firearms that were used and also to identify other personalities included in the murder on June 7, 2014 of the late Mayor Ernesto V. Balolong Jr. and two (2) others in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan”.
Oplan GF referred to George Fajardo is also known as Lorenzo Fajardo.
Combined police operatives implemented two search warrants issued by Judge Thelma Bunye-Medina of Regional Trial Court Branch 32, Manila against Fajardo and Rueda, both residents of Barangay Macabling, Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Sept. 18 at around 3:00 a.m.
Seized from Fajardo were different firearms and ammunition that included one caliber .45 pistol, one Glock 19 9 mm pistol, one caliber 25 pistol, one M4 Bushmaster and assorted magazines and ammunition.
Confiscated from De Rueda were two caliber .45 pistols, one rifle caliber 22, caliber 30 carbine, assorted magazines and ammunition and about two kilograms of shabu, among others.
Aside from Fajardo and De Rueda, also arrested were Pablo Javier of Barangay Biclat, San Miguel, Bulacan; Nolito Garfil of Morsia, Bacolod City and Estrella Lueles of Macabling, Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
The confiscated pieces of evidence were brought to CIDG national headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City for documentation and preparation of appropriate charges against them, the report added.
It may be recalled that Balolong, who was on his third term, was shot dead on June 7 on the eve of his son’s wedding which coincided with his and his wife’s 25th wedding anniversary in a parking lot of the reception venue few meters away from his residence in Poblacion, Urbiztondo. His police escort P01 Eliseo Ulanday and supermarket employee Edmund Meneses were also gunned down while three others were wounded.
Eduardo De Guzman alias “Gading” and Marito Sarmiento alias Mar, believed to be the triggermen, were arrested on the same day of the killing and had been charged with murder and frustrated murder at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office and are detained at the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in San Carlos City.
On July 2, three counts of murder and frustrated murder were filed separately against two more suspects at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office against Ramil Tiongson Santos and Eduardo Nicolas alias “Gay”, both residents of No. 0081 (B) Escanilla St., Concepcion, Malabon City.
Ramil Tiongson Santos whose fake passport presented for the rental of a Toyota Innova, vehicle used by the suspects, was also arrested.
This led Task Force Balolong to file a case of three counts of murder and frustrated murder, docketed under NPS No. I-01C-INV-14G-00170 against Santos and Nicolas, who rented a house used during the transaction and accompanied Santos to deal with the rent-a-car for the Innova vehicle used during the killing. (Tita Roces)
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