THE Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) confirmed the arrest of three suspects behind the ambush and attempted murder of former Congressman Amado Espino Jr. in San Juan, Batangas last February 7.

P/Colonel Ronald Valdez Gayo, PPPO director, said Albert Bataan Palisoc, Benjie Lantonio Resultan and Armando Frias y Mangrobong, considered as No. 19, 18 and 20 Regional Most Wanted Persons of Police Regional Office 1, respectively were arrested in search warrant operations conducted by joint intelligence operatives of the PNP Pangasinan, PNP PRO1, San Juan MPS, CIDG, Regional Drug Enforcement Unit, and Regional Intelligence Unit.

P/Major Arturo Melchor Jr. public information officer of the Pangasinan Police Provincial Office, said the three are among the 31 accused in Espino’s ambush that resulted in the wounding of the former congressman and two more and deaths of one bodyguard and a driver.

Frias, was also identified as the high value target in Illegal drug trade in the region.

All suspects are from Urbiztondo town and were identified in the PNP report as members of the ‘Raul Sison Group’ and recommended for priority neutralization in Pangasinan.  (Sison was a former provincial board member of Pangasinan representing the second district who died of COVID-19 in March last year).

The three, who were traced to have long been in hiding in San Juan, Batangas, were served with warrants of arrests for Frias (murder, attempted murder) and Palisoc and Resultan (frustrated Murder). Frias is also wanted for another murder case.

Recovered by lawmen from the suspects were one Cal. 45 pistol (without serial number), two magazines, a fake driver’s license and a Nissan Sentra with Plate Number ZFR 953.

In addition to the charges already filed against them in court, the three suspects will also face a case for violation of R.A. 10591(Violation of the Comprehensive Firearms Law),

Espino was on board his Toyota Land Cruiser driven by Agapito Cuison and his bodyguard Jayson Malsi when they were ambushed. Espino and Malsi were wounded while Cuison died shortly after driving the car to the hospital. Also killed was Richard Esguerra, a bodyguard who was on board the backup car and where Kerwin Marfori, who was wounded.

The driver of the Toyota Innova, Anthony Columbino, was unscathed.

Meanwhile Gayo, said PPPO already 158 fugitives through the service of arrest warrants (Leonardo Micua/Ahikam Pasion/Nora Dominguez)

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