Board member, 7 others charged with slay try

DUMAGUETE CITY—A provincial board member and seven others believed to be guns-for-hire on Friday were charged with frustrated murder for the failed assassination of a city councilor.

Charged were Arnulfo “Arnie” Teves, a provincial board member, and Jasper Tanasan, Pacito Libron, Alex Mayagma, Remy Deocares and Herman Escora of Bayawan City; and Rio Siason and Jomar Nicor of Basay town.

They were charged with conspiring to kill Bayawan City Councilor Victoriano Alabastro on June 24 inside the Negros Oriental State University

(Norsu) in Sta. Catalina campus. Alabastro is a law professor at Norsu.

Alabastro, who took a bullet in the stomach, survived the second attempt on his life. The first attempt to kill Alabastro was on Dec. 21, 2010.

Escora, now in police custody, said he was involved in the June 24 plot to kill Alabastro, but not in the December plot.

Escora tagged Teves as the mastermind. He also identified Tanasan and Libron as the ones who directly approached him for the hit job.

Teves, according to Escora, wanted Alabastro killed because of the councilor’s fight against gambling. Escora said Teves was the top man in illegal gambling operations in the third district of Negros Oriental.

Teves refused to discuss the case.

Escora was arrested by police in Siaton town last Nov. 10 for illegal possession of firearms and explosive.

Escora, along with Anthony Lutero, was said to be out to assassinate Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo. Escora and Lutero are in the police order of battle as guns-for-hire. They, however, denied planning to kill the governor.

They admitted, though, that their target was a certain Dodoy Sioco, village secretary of Bonawon, Siaton. They said Sioco, a neighbor of the governor, was the coordinator of the illegal lottery Bingo Milyonaryo, a rival of the Swertres, another illegal numbers game.

During investigation, Escora admitted participating in the planning and execution of the plan to kill Alabastro.

He said the firearms were supplied by Libron and Tanasan. Escora said after shooting Alabastro, he and his coconspirators went to Tolong Sugar Central in Sta. Catalina town, which is managed by Teves.