Man faces murder raps
for slay of Fil-American

Murder charges have been filed against a detained suspect who confessed to having killed a Filipino-American on Dec. 26 in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, the police said.

Senior Inspector Victorino Romanillos, acting San Carlos police chief, said the suspect identified as Carlos Caballero, alias Lawin, gave himself up to PO3 Mark Angelo Junco and PO3 Reuben Tabinas in Toledo City, Cebu, two days after the incident. He is now facing a murder charge.

Fil-Am Raymond Leach, 34, died when he was hit in the head with a baseball bat, allegedly by Caballero, at Sitio San Juan Baybay, Brgy. 6, San Carlos City, police investigations show.

Caballero who confessed to his participation in the death of Leach, claimed he was ordered by Helen Pataytay, mother of the victim to do it for monetary considerations, Romanillos said.

Police investigations show that Leach had injuries in his head and neck.

Romanillos said witnesses Roberto Marquez and Jose Gallardo, both barangay tanods, saw Caballero coming out of the house of Pataytay with a baseball bat.

Pataytay vehemently denied that she had ordered the killing of her own son.

The baseball bat used in the commission of the crime is now in the possession of the San Carlos police.

Caballero is now detained at the police station jail of San Carlos City.*GPB

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Violence versus women,
abuse of children top list

Violation of Republic Act 9262, or the Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act, topped the list of cases against women while physical injuries topped the list of cases against children from January to December 2005, records from the Bacolod Women and Children's Concern Desk showed yesterday.

Police records, copies of which were furnished the DAILY STAR, showed that R.A. 9262 violations topped the cases against women at 738 cases, 40 of which were filed before the City Prosecutor's Office, followed by physical injuries with 144 cases but only three cases were filed.

The WCCD recorded other cases against women which include acts of lasciviousness - 44, unjust vexation - 26, threats - 24, oral defamation - 23, rape - 21, wife battering and maltreatment - 16, concubinage - 14, adultery - 10, attempted rape, RA 8353, or Anti-Rape Law and theft - 2 and bigamy - 1.

The month of December registered 187 complaints, the highest number of cases against women lodged before the WCCD in 2005, followed by the months of April - 114, November - 108, January - 100, May - 99, October - 97, March - 86, July - 81, June - 78, September - 71, August - 70 and February - 66, police reports said.

Meanwhile, on cases against children, physical injuries registered 406 cases and only 22 cases were filed before the City Prosecutor's Office, followed by rape - 64, acts of lasciviousness - 38, missing minor - 18, seduction and theft - 15, RA 8353 or the Anti-Rape Law and unjust vexation - 12; parental disobedience - 8, abduction - 6, sexual abuse - 5, attempted rape and RA 9208, or child trafficking - 4, threat and PD 1619, or sniffing volatile substance - 2 and kidnapping and RA 9231 or child labor - 1, police reports said. A total of 606 cases were lodged before the WCCD against children in 2005, January - 52, February and March - 65, April - 60, May - 39, June - 52, July - 41, August - 49, September - 33, October - 52, November - 50 and December - 48, police reports also said.*DMG

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Cops vow to solve
highway heist soon

The police yesterday claimed to have made a breakthrough in the highway robbery incident in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, where seven unidentified armed men carted away about P1 million in cash and checks from a delivery van of Columbia Marketing at Hacienda Carmenchika, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, on Dec. 28.

"We are confident we can solve it before the end of this month," Senior Supt. Charles Calima, provincial police director, said. He, however, refused to elaborate on details of the police operations.

Senior Inspector Argel Ancheta, deputy director of 3rd Provincial Mobile Group, yesterday said they will invite Charlemaigne Gargalicano, driver-salesman of Columbia Marketing, and his companion, Noel Jake Clamor, as well as their helpers, for an interview today at the Pontevedra Police Station.

Calima raised the possibility of an "inside job" in the successful operation.

The 3rd Provincial Mobile Group, assisted by two other teams of policemen, is spearheading the manhunt operations against the armed suspects, in coordination with policemen of Pontevedra, Valladolid and Bago City.

One of the fleeing suspects was reportedly armed with an M-16 assault rifle.

Aside from the "inside job" angle, Ancheta said they are also entertaining the possibility of the involvement of a highway robbery group operating in central Negros.*GPB

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