Police asset Cecil "Giant" Brillantes Jr. named two former Bacolod city police directors among the 15 policemen allegedly involved in the kidnapping and murder of a former Bacolod barangay captain and his two companions in Bacolod City on August 31, 2003.

Brillantes, who was accused of killing his fellow police asset in 2003, had left Bacolod City on Jan. 6, after the murder charges against him were dismissed.

In his affidavit, copies of which were furnished the DAILY STAR last night, Brillantes claimed that Senior Supt. Vicente Ponteras, then Negros Occidental Police Director, Senior Supt. George Bajelot, then Bacolod police director met with Senior Insp. Clarence Dongail, Senior Insp. Jonathan Lorilla, Senior Insp. Jimmy Fortaleza a week before the murder of Brgy. Captain Eleuterio Salabas and his two companions.

Ponteras, who is a former Bacolod police director, could not be reached for comments despite DAILY STAR attempts to contact him last night.

In his affidavit, Brillantes said Manolo Escalante and his companion, Ronnie Herrera, and some organic members of the Drug Enforcement Unit and NOPPO personnel were also present in the meeting where they talked about their "project" or operation against Salabas whom they suspected to be involved in drugs.

He also said the accused had conducted surveillance on Salabas, that was participated in by several police assets and police officers such as Lorilla, Insp. Bonifer Gotas, SPO2 Freddie Natividad, PO1 Bernardo Cimatu, Po2 Allen Winston Hulleza, SPO1 Nelson Grijaldo, Ramsy Barro, Ruel Villacanas, Jackson Manalas.

On Aug. 31 2003, Brillantes said he was with Dongail in a van parked near the bowling alley at the Goldenfields Commercial Complex and they were watching Salabas who was in his Grey Nissan Frontier pick-up car.

He said Salabas passed through them, and they proceed in front of bank at the commercial complex where he saw several other vehicles and other members of the surveillance group.

Later, he claimed he saw Salabas, Maximo Lomoljo and Ricardo Suganob blindfolded and with their mouths' gagged inside the van in front of Police Precinct 2. With them were Natividad, Cimatu, Gotas and Fortaleza, he added.

He said Salabas, Lomoljo and Suganob were brought to a lodge where they were forced to admit they were carrying drugs and later transferred to a motel in Brgy. Taculing where they were tortured and interrogated. He also claimed that Bajelot and Ponteras both contacted Dongail and congratulated him and his men.

Brillantes said the victims were transferred to another motel where Suganob suffered a seizure.

He said Salabas, who was then blindfolded and lying on the floor, was carried out by Grijaldo, Natividad and Cimatu, Dennis Belandres, Villacanas and asset Tisoy Salazar to a red Revo and they left the motel.

Two weeks after the incident, Brillantes further claimed in his affidavit, Dongail held a party at his residence attended by Ponteras, Bajelot and all the police officers who participated in the operation. He added that Dongail and Fortaleza warned him not to tell anybody about the incident.*DMG

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