MERCED VOWS
Brains, 4 others in
slay of GRO arrested soon

The alleged mastermind and the four others charged for the murder of an 18-year-old guest relations officer in Bacolod City on Dec. 19 last year, will be arrested as soon as the court issues the warrants, Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, Bacolod City police director, yesterday said.

On Monday, case investigator PO1 Ronie Benitua, of Police Precinct 8, elevated the case of Irene de la Peña, a GRO of the Sunrise Disco bar at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex from frustrated murder to murder before the City Prosecutor's Office.

The case was filed against Helen Aguadilla, the alleged mastermind, two 17-year-old boys, Mark Enriquez, 19, and Roming Calalang, alias "Roming Kumpol", police reports said.

Merced, however, said what they have gathered are only circumstancial evidences pointing to Aguadilla as the mastermind in the murder of Dela Peña, of Libertad Extension, Brgy. 40, Bacolod City.

In affidavits endorsed to the City Prosecutor's Office, the two witnesses pointed to Aguadilla as the mastermind who, they said, had threatened to kill Dela Peña several times in her residence.

The witnesses said Aguadilla ordered Dela Peña to stop seeing her husband who allegedly had a relationship with her.

Merced declared the case of Dela Peña closed after Aguadilla, who was tagged as mastermind, had been impleaded in the filing of the case.

Merced also said he will verify reports of the alleged involvement of a retired Bacolod police officer in the case after he was reportedly seen with Aguadilla when she went to Dela Peña's residence.

Dela Pena, mother of a one-year and six-month old boy, died two weeks and three days after she was rushed to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital with a stab wound in her breast, police reports said.

Meanwhile, Merced yesterday said they are closely coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation for a speedy identification of the "bonnet gang" members who reportedly abducted and molested a female college student in Bacolod City Tuesday last week.

Merced said the NBI-Bacolod has already produced a cartographic sketch of one of the suspects who allegedly dragged the complainant into a white L-300 van.

Merced said the arrest of the person in the cartographic sketch will definitely lead to the arrest of his companions. He said they are also looking for possible witnesses to identify the other suspects.

Meanwhile, Merced said they are validating the hold-up incident involving a woman who boarded a taxi and was reportedly held up by two unidentified persons wearing bonnets who dropped her in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental on Jan. 3.

Merced said the hold-up incident was only an allegation of the complainant, nevertheless, he has directed his men to continue their intensive campaign against taxicabs with heavily tinted window glasses.

There are some people who want to ride on the situation, but the Bacolod police will not stop its operations until the "bonnet gang" members are arrested and jailed, Merced said.

On Tuesday, Merced said five taxi units were intercepted by the City Mobile Group and were impounded at the BCPO compound for having heavily tinted window glasses.*DMG

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CD: 'Otso Oros' members
not behind Pizza Hut heist

Senior Supt. Pedro Merced, Bacolod City police director, yesterday belied allegations that the Regional Founder's Brigade, also known as Otso Oros, a robbery hold-up group operating in Negros Occidental was responsible for the ransacking of the Pizza Hut food chain at the Robinson's Place Bacolod Monday morning during which P300,000 was taken from the establishment.

Merced said he does not believe the group broke into the food chain and that, he is still eyeing an "inside job" in the robbery.

Ongoing police investigation showed that those responsible may have been a former employee(s) of the establishment. He said he hopes to solve the case sooner.

The steel vault of the food chain containing about P300,000 in cash collection was found in a sugarcane plantation at Hacienda Catumbal, Brgy. San Jose, E.B. Magalona town in Negros Occidental at about 11 a.m. Monday, he added. The suspects forced open the vault and took its content, but had left 52 Pizza Hut palm cards and 46 Pizza Hut discount cards, police reports said.*DMG

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