Suspect in QC quintuple slays nabbed in Palawan
One of the seven men tagged in the murder of five Quezon City residents in 2011 was arrested Monday afternoon in Palawan province.
Melvin Badilla, 42, was tracked down by the police in Barangay Iraan in Aborlan town, the Quezon City Police District (QCPD) announced on Tuesday.
Badilla, who has been residing in Barangay Poblacion in the same Palawan town, is one of the suspects in the killing of five people in Barangay Batasan Hills, Quezon City, on Nov. 28, 2011.
Five other suspects remain at large: Badilla’s father Benjamin, his uncles Francisco and Benedicto, his cousin Arjay, and a certain Ecat. Another suspect, Marlon Andamo, has also been arrested.
According to Insp. Elmer Monsalve, chief of the Quezon City Police District’s homicide section, killings stemmed from a conflict between the Badillas and a neighbor who was in charge of a government housing program in the area.
The investigation then showed that the Badillas were targeting only one person, Liberato Paez, the president of local homeowners association, Monsalve said. Paez was in a drinking session with several others when gunmen opened fire on the group.
Also killed were Rogelio Diomampo, Rogelio Agustin, Germinio Manansala and Armando Garcia. Another neighbor, Zaldy Ballesteros, was wounded in the shooting.
Quoting witnesses, Monsalve said the Badillas may have held a grudge against Paez after only two members of the Badilla family were granted units under the housing program.
Melvin Badilla was arrested on a warrant issued by Judge Rosa Samson of Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 105 for five counts of murder and one count of frustrated murder.
The QCPD had listed Badilla as the fifth most wanted person in the city as he was also being linked to the Hinirang gun-for-hire group, which was believed to have carried out more than 50 killings in Quezon City and in Rodriguez, Rizal province.
He remained in detention in Palawan as of Tuesday and is set to be transferred to the QCPD headquarters in Camp Karingal.
