COTABATO CITY –– Police have arrested three of four men linked to the gruesome murder of a Manobo woman in Magpet town of Cotabato province.
Major Judgie Barotas, Magpet town police chief, said joint operatives from Magpet police and the Police Regional Intelligence Unit (RIU) 12 arrested the three suspects in separate law enforcement operations on Tuesday, or two days after the murder of Merlin Ansabo Celis, also known among the Manobo circle as Bae Melda Ansabo, an IP leader and resident of Barangay Mahongkog in Magpet.
Two of the arrested suspects bear the same family name as Celis’ maiden name Ansabo (spelled by the police as Ansabu).
Barotas said a witness provided police a statement that led to the arrest of Jerry Ansabo at his residence in Sitio Tagaytay, Mahongkog at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25.
Ansabo reportedly led police to his companions, Bonel Rubio and Rex Ansabo who were arrested late Tuesday night in Barangay Sanggadong, Kabacan town in Cotabato.
The fourth suspect, Rufino Ansabo, remained at large and had been the subject of a massive manhunt.
Barotas said the arrested suspects denied involvement in the crime and pointed to Rufino as the one behind it.
“They all pointed to Rufino, the suspect at-large, as the one responsible for the killing of Celis,” Barotas told reporters. Barotas also confirmed the Ansabo suspects were siblings.
An aggressive Manobo leader in Mahongkag, Celis was walking on her way to their farm with her daughter when she was attacked on Sunday, August 23. The daughter managed to escape.
“The suspects were armed with 12-gauge shotgun and machete,” Barotas said.
After shooting her, one of the four suspects hacked the fallen IP leader to finish her off, Barotas said.
Barotas said a police investigation found that the suspects wanted the post of Celis who replaced a relative, Ronilo Ansabo, as IP leader of Sitio Tagaytay, Mahongkog.
He said Ronilo Ansabo was arrested on July 2 for possession of firearms and explosives; and that suspects Rex, 38, and Jerry, 37, were interested in the post vacated by Ronilo, following his arrest.
He said this could be one of the motives that led to Celis’ murder.
Barotas also said the suspects had several complaints and records in their barangay.
Earlier, Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco, a member of the Manobo Dulangan tribe like Celis, condemned the murder and urged the police to go after the perpetrators.
“How could they do that, she was a woman, defenseless, unarmed and an elderly at 53,” Catamco said.