PRO8 scores against wanted men, loose weapons in Samar

By RPCRD, Police Regional Office 8
February 21, 2013

CAMP SEC. KANGLEON, Palo, Leyte – The Special Operations Task Group - Samar (SOTG-Samar) Tracker Team of the Police Regional Office 8 (PRO8) arrested four persons and confiscated assorted weapons in an almost weeklong police operations in the hinterlands of the first district of Samar recently.

“The SOTG-Samar was activated to initiate focused police operations targeting wanted persons, accounting of loose firearms and dismantling ‘private armed groups’ in Samar,” said Police Chief Superintendent Elmer Ragadio Soria, Eastern Visayas police regional director.

He added that the arrested wanted persons could be tapped by unscrupulous politicians to advance their political interest in the coming polls while confiscated weapons could be used in terroristic and other criminal activities.

Soria disclosed that from February 16 to 20, combined elements of RSOTG-Samar Tracker Team led by Police Senior Inspector Jovie Espenido, 2nd Regional Public Safety Management Company of the 8th Regional Public Safety Battalion (8th RPSB) led by Police Senior Inspector Shyrile Tan and Samar Provincial Public Safety Company (Samar PPSC) conducted manhunt operations at the hinterlands of Calbayog City and Sta. Margarita, all of Samar province, which resulted to the arrest of 4 persons, three of them charged for heinous crimes, and confiscation of high-powered and low-powered firearms.

At around 4:00 o’clock Tuesday afternoon at the hinterlands of Brgy. San Antonio in Calbayog City, 5 personalities identified as Bonifacio Caber, Ricardo Vicentino, Jay-ar Yregon, Johnny Vicentino and Loreto Casaljay voluntarily surrendered to the police team eight homemade shotguns, now under the custody of SOTG-Samar based in Camp Lukban, Catbalogan City.

An hour later, manhunt operations at the vicinity of Brgy. Camperito, Sta. Margarita, Samar, resulted in the arrest of one Floro Diaz y Ajon with pending cases for 3 counts of Murder and 3 counts for Frustrated Murder.

The SOTG was also able to confiscate from Diaz one Elisco M16 rifle with defaced serial number, one Colt .45 caliber bearing serial number 188765, five short and one long magazines for M16 rifle with a total of 129 rounds of live ammunitions for M16, one black eight-pocket bandoleer, 2 magazine assembly for .45 caliber pistol, 7 rounds live ammunitions for .45 caliber and two fragmentation hand grenades.

In early Thursday morning, manhunt operations conducted by the same team at the vicinity of Brgy. San Jose in Calbayog City resulted in the arrest of Marcial Jalayajay and Zaldy Cagomoc by virtue of Warrant of Arrest docketed under Criminal Case No. 6487 for Complex Crime of Murder with Frustrated Murder.

Meanwhile, one Junlex Cagomoc was also arrested by the police team for obstruction of justice during the service of arrest warrant against Jalayajay and Cagomoc.

Apprehended and surrendered persons together with the confiscated items were brought to SOTG-Samar office for documentation, further investigation and proper disposition.