Day: May 1, 2023

The Philippine National Police on Sunday night maintained it is committed to searching for the missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados) and jail the suspects behind their disappearance. “The PNP remains steadfast in their search for the missing sabungeros as suspects in the case have been issued warrants of arrest,” PNP public information chief Col. Redrico Maranan said. The case of the missing sabungeros involves the kidnapping of six victims — James E. Baccay, Marlon E. Baccay, Rondel F. Cristorum, Mark Joseph L. Velasco, John Claude Venson Inonog and Rowel Gomez that transpired at the Manila Arena in Sta. Ana, Manila on Jan. 13, 2022. Recently, a 15-page joint resolution was released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) disclosing that state prosecutors found probable cause to indict the six suspects for six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code. The suspects are Julie Patidongan, Gleer Codilla, Mark Carlo Zabala, Virgilio Bayog, Johnry Consolacion and Roberto Matillano Jr. However, the complaint against Jonas A. Alingasa and Herolden Alonto was dismissed for insufficiency of evidence. According to the resolution, prosecutors considered the testimonies of witnesses and CCTV footages from different barangays that showed the continuity of the forcible abduction. The victims’ cell phone conversation with their kin during the time they were abducted, the testimony of a witness who identified the suspects, CCTV footage showing a black and a gray van followed by a silver Toyota Wigo that left the Manila Arena, the short lapse of time as shown in the CCTV footage, and the victims’ disappearance since the abduction were all cited as circumstances that may prove the suspects’ guilt. The case of Inonog, Baccay brothers, Cristorum, Velasco, and Gomez is one of the eight cases handled by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Special Investigation Task Group (CIDG-SITG) ‘Sabungero’. The SITG “Sabungero” encourages everyone with information regarding the case to come forward and help in the investigation. Meanwhile, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. reassured the victims’ families and the nation that the investigation would continue until the truth is uncovered. “We will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families. We have identified the suspects and the court issued warrants of arrests against them. We urge the suspects to surrender peacefully and face the charges because the PNP will not stop until they are all accounted for,” he added

Source: Philippines News Agency

A Sudanese suddenly got emotional upon seeing his Filipina wife and three daughters who were able to escape the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Department of Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople on Monday shared with the media the story and photos of the family who happily reunited in a hotel in Cairo, Egypt after a weeklong travel from Sudan. ‘Kaya nga sa tingin namin sa DMW, mahalaga na intact ang family (that is why for us in DMW, it is important that the family is intact). Family is always a top priority even in time of crisis and war,’ Ople said. ‘Nakakaiyak yung video nung nagkita na sila (the video of them reuniting is just too emotional),’ she added. Ople said Hassan I. Ali Hamed who is married to a Filipina, Evelyn Ali Hamed, shared the same fate and stories with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who opted to leave the Philippines just to support their families. ‘Ali Hamed has been an overseas worker in UAE since 1975. He is now connected at Darwish bin Ahmad Co. as an office controller from 2019 to the present. He met his wife in UAE. She was then working at a sales company. They got married in 2004,’ Ople narrated. She said that in 2005, the couple visited the Philippines and spent a year in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, Evelyn’s hometown. They have been blessed with three beautiful daughters, Bothina, Maryam and Jehan. After their vacation in the Philippines, the family decided to stay in Sudan. Hassan, however, still needs to work overseas to support his family. Amid the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, Hassan went back to Sudan in 2021 to ensure the safety of his family. Little did he know that that would be the last vacation he would spend with his family in Sudan. When he heard about the Sudan crisis, bombed houses and the impossibility of entering his country, Ali Hamid cannot do anything but cry and pray for the safety of his family. With the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, the DMW team and other individuals, the family of Hassan is now safe after a weeklong trip, together with other OFWs who reached the border of Agreen, Egypt. Ople said when Evelyn finally informed his husband that they are now in Cairo, Egypt and Hassan immediately took the first flight on Sunday from UAE. On Sunday evening, Hassan finally met his family at the Royal Marshal Hotel and promised not to leave his family again. He thanked the efforts of Ople and the DMW for the assistance extended to his family and for bringing them safely to Cairo. On Sunday, a seven-bus convoy from the Egypt border facility arrived at the Oasis Hotel in Cairo. They were welcomed by Ople, Undersecretary Hans Cacdac and other DMW personnel. ‘All 340 will soon be flying home courtesy of DMW-OWWA,’ Ople said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

At least seven members of the New People’s Army (NPA) were killed during an encounter with soldiers on Sunday in the upland village of Bobon town in Northern Samar. Troops from the Army’s 803rd Infantry Brigade had an armed encounter with 40 rebels in the hinterlands of Santander village in Bobon town following a tip from residents of sightings of armed men in the outskirts of their village. The armed rebels belong to the subregional guerrilla unit and remnants of the dismantled front committee-2, subregional committee emporium of the NPA Eastern Visayas Regional Party Committee led by Mario Sevillano. The Army’s 8th Infantry Division (8ID) in a statement late Sunday said Sevillano is a notorious rebel leader who perpetrated numerous atrocities in Northern Samar province. Soldiers called for close air and artillery support since the NPA lair was heavily fortified and surrounded by prohibited anti-personnel mines. Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, 8ID commander, said the success of the operation was made possible through the efforts to clear the NPA’s area of operations, blocking their logistical and operational support. “Last year, we cleared the area of operations of the front committee 2 that prompted their dismantling with the help of local government officials. The people in Northern Samar now understand their duty to end insurgency,’ Ligayo said. The same NPA unit is notorious for numerous atrocities in Northern Samar such as ambuscades, extortions and killings, according to Ligayo. One of which is the attack of two unarmed Citizen Armed Force Geographical Units Active Auxiliary members in San Isidro, Northern Samar last August 2021. Likewise, multiple warrants of arrest for murder and attempted murder have been filed against members of said for their inhumane activities. Soldiers recovered one R4 rifle, two M16 rifles, one AK47 rifle, anti-personnel mine and subversive documents. Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police reported Sunday night that a wounded member of the NPA’s front committee 2 surrendered to village officials of Trangue village in Catarman town and was turned over to the Northern Samar police mobile force company. Police identified him as alias Kurati, 29, resident of Silvino Lobos, Northern Samar, a medical officer of the communist terrorist group. The wounded rebel who suffered multiple face injuries, managed to escape during the firefight with soldiers early Sunday in Santander village. Policemen rushed him to the Northern Samar provincial hospital. The rebels’ front committee 2 that operated in the boundary of Samar and Northern Samar provinces was dismantled last year with the capture and surrender of some of their combatants and recovery of several firearms.

Source: Philippines News Agency