BAUKO, Mountain Province – Provincial officials and police investigators expressed optimism that the third suspect in the brutal murder of the chief of the Highway Patrol Group (HPG) in the province will likely surrender and answer for the crime they committed in the future.
Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr. said there are already initial indications that showed that the third suspect in the brutal murder of HPG Mountain Province provincial chief Inspector Benjamin Chaloy will yield to authorities and cooperate with the on-going investigation of the celebrated murder case in the province.
“We hope that the initial gains of the investigation relative to Chaloy’s murder will be fruitful in the coming days with the expected surrender of the third suspect involved in the said case. We will keep our fingers crossed that something positive will happen in the next several weeks,” Lacwasan stressed.
It can be recalled that Chaloy was shot to death by three still unidentified gun-wielding suspects as he was about to enter his residence in Poblacion, Bontoc, Mountain Province a week before the province celebrated its 50th founding anniversary and the Lang-ay festival.
See related story: Police major gunned down in Bontoc
A few days later, two of the three suspects voluntarily surrendered to the officials of the 5th Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) based in Camp Melchor dela Cruz, Upi, Gamo, Isabela for safekeeping. One of those who surrendered to the military is an intelligence officer of the AFP.
Lacwasan disclosed the third suspect in Chaloy’s brutal murder allegedly joined the two other suspects in a photo opportunity that was taken by their relatives during their visit to Gamo, Isabela which is an indication that he is just taking his time before giving up to probers.
The governor added provincial officials and police probers are constantly conducting dialogues with tribal elders from Bontoc, Natonin and Paracelis to make sure that no untoward incidents will crop up as an offshoot of the cop’s brutal murder considering the need to sustain the good image of Mountain Province as the home of peace-loving citizens.
He appealed to the concerned tribes involved in the case for sobriety and calmness among their members because the situation is under the control of the provincial and police probers who are closely working together for the surrender of the third suspect and for them to be brought to Bontoc for the subsequent filing of the appropriate charges against them in the proper court.
Lacwasan claimed the murder incident nearly compromised the successful celebration of the province’s milestone and the conduct of the Lang-ay festival two weeks ago but the timely intervention of concerned local officials, police probers and tribal elders prevented the occurrence of untoward incidents that could have significantly affected the twin celebrations.
He asserted local officials, probers and tribal elders want the case to be solved the soonest to prevent suspicions from both camps that they are favoring one of them which they want to avoid in such sensitive incident that has trained the province’s peaceful image.
By HENT
