Fugitive cop in Atimonan rubout arrested

Investigators use mannequins inside the two sports utility vehicle at the “Atimonan encounter” last January 6, to get more information for the investigation at the National Bureau of Investigation grounds, Manila on Friday.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—After five months in hiding, one of the police officials involved in the killing of gambling lord Vic Siman and 12 others in Atimonan town in Quezon province in January has been arrested.

Director General Alan Purisima, Philippine National Police chief, confirmed Thursday in a command conference the arrest of Police Superintendent Ramon Balauag, formerly the Intelligence Branch chief of Quezon Police Provincial Office, last Wednesday.

“He is now under our custody, now detained at the PNP Custodial Center here in Camp Crame,” Purisima said.

Balauag, who had just arrived from Doha, Qatar, was arrested by the Bureau of Immigrations personnel in Clark International Airport in Angeles.

Last August, Balauag was declared missing by the PNP after he failed to report to Administrative Resource Management Division of the Headquarters Support Service since July 8.

Tracker teams were then formed by the police to hunt him down, who went into hiding while he was under restrictive custody.

The Department of Justice on September 19 charged 13 policemen with multiple counts of murder for the killing of Siman and 12 others filed in the Regional Trial Court in Gumaca town, Quezon province.

Among the policemen charged were former Region IV-A police director Chief Superintendent James Andres Melad, former Region IV-A deputy intelligence head Supt. Hansel Marantan, Senior Inspector John Paolo Carracedo, Senior Police Officer 1 Arturo Sarmiento, Senior Inspector Timoteo Orig, Chief Inspector Grant Gollod, Senior Police Officer 3 Joselito de Guzman, Senior Police Officer 1 Carlo Cataquiz, Police Officer 3 Eduardo Oronan, Police Officer 2 Nelson Indal, Police Officer 2 Al Bhazar Jailani, Police Officer 1 Wryan Sardea and Police Officer 1 Rodel Talento.

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