2 gun-for-hire suspects nabbed for killing of village chief

CAMALANIUGAN, Cagayan—Two suspects in the killing of a village chair here have been arrested on Wednesday (April 22), a day after the killing.

The two—Geronimo Joaquin and Alvin Carlo Aggabao–were believed to be guns-for-hire.

Eranio Caleda, chief of Barangay Julian Olivas, was shot as he helped in repairing the power cable being used at a checkpoint.

Caleda, 46, died in transit to hospital but was able to identify his assailants before breathing his last.

He named Joaquin, driver of Vice Mayor Isidro Cabaddu, as one of the assailants.

Joaquin, alias James Bond, was arrested in possession of a loaded handgun during a manhunt, said Col. Ariel Quilang, Cagayan provincial police director.

Joaquin is from Urdaneta City in Pangasinan province and has been residing at the village of Centro Norte this town.

Joaquin’s alleged accomplice, Aggabao, was arrested in a separate police operation.

Capt. Arnel Acain, Camalaniugan police chief, said Joaquin was a former employee of the Nueva Ecija provincial government and was implicated in a series of murders.

Joaquin admitted planning the attack on Caleda, in an extrajudicial confession he made at the Public Attorney’s Office.

He said he was paid an initial P15,000 by a mastermind he refused to identify.

Joaquin and Aggabao were linked to the May 2, 2019 shooting deaths of Roberto Tolento and Arjay Galapia and the wounding of Roland Pascua in this town.

They also claimed to have shot Fredelito Ugalde Sr. of Centro Sur village on Aug. 30, 2019.

Edited by TSB