‘Bothered by conscience,’ suspect in slay of 2 nursing grads surrenders 

MANILA, Philippines — After being “bothered by his conscience,” a 38-year-old man believed to be involved in the Sept. 27 killing of two nursing graduates and a nursing student in Caloocan City, yielded to police in Quezon City on Thursday afternoon.

In a report, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) chief Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said Ronald Cajipe faced police officers at Batasan police station to confess that he killed the victims.

Montejo said the suspect voluntarily surrendered saying he was “bothered by his conscience.”

“Akala ko ay magnanakaw lang kami ng mga kasamahan ko pero dahil nakilala sila ng mga biktima ay pinatay nila yung tatlo,” Cajepe said, as quoted in the police report.

(I thought we would just steal items but since the victims recalled their faces, they killed the victims.)

Cajipe was turned over to Caloocan police where he will face appropriate charges.

Last Sept. 27, barangay officials discovered the bodies of 22-year-old nursing student Arjay Belencio and nursing graduates Glydyl Belonio, 28, and Mona Habibolla, 22, inside a house that is undergoing construction.

Local officials went to the area after the victims failed to respond to the phone calls.

In a progress report from Caloocan police, Cajipe’s name was floated after the third person of interest (POI), Anselmo Singcol surrendered to police at Region 8 and was turned over to Caloocan on Oct. 5.

Singcol, a construction worker near the site, is a POI because he was nowhere to be found after the murder of the victims.

During his surrender, Singcol pointed to Cajipe as the killer of the victims. He said he only “participated in the commission of the crime.”

Singcol then accused “Bing Bing” Sarmiento, who is also one of the POIs in the case, was the one who ordered the killing.

JPV