3 nabbed for Masbate City murders of village chief and mother

DAET, Camarines Norte, Philippines–Three persons were arrested for the killing of a Masbate City barangay (village) chairman and his mother, the Masbate police said.

Suspects Francisco Tumambac Sr., 54, farm supervisor at the Masbate City Agriculture Office; his farmer son Francisco Jr., 24; and their relative, Otic Tumambac, 30, also a farmer, were arrested as suspects for the deaths of Barangay Igang chairman Allan Marcos, 36, and his mother Purita Marcos, 64, said Police Officer 3 Zandro Cabintoy, spokesman of Masbate Provincial Police, on Monday evening.

The suspects, all residents of Sitio Circulo, Barangay Biyong, Masbate City, are also being held accountable for attempting to kill the barangay chief’s wife Analyn Marcos, 41, and his sister Alily Marcos when they attacked the Marcoses in their residence in Sitio Buyog, Barangay Igang, Masbate City at around 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Cabintoy added.

He said the Masbate City Police, under Chief Inspector Edwin Adora, reported that the suspects were arrested in a subsequent hot pursuit operations conducted by the responding police team of Masbate City Police Station.  The cops were acting upon an anonymous tip that the suspects were sighted in Barangay Biyong, Masbate City on Monday morning.

However, another suspect identified as Fernando Tumambac, said to be a village councilman of Biyong and a relative of the arrested suspects, remained at large as of Monday evening, he said.

The Scene of Crime Operatives (SOCO) operatives recovered from the crime scene several spent shells for .45 pistol, homemade shotgun steel magazines, ammunition for a 12-gauge shotgun, two deformed slugs for a firearm of undetermined caliber and several pellets, he said.

Cabintoy said initial investigation revealed that the three suspects shot the victims in their house using various firearms.

He added that victim Purita died on the spot while Allan died upon arrival at the Masbate Provincial Hospital in Masbate City on Sunday evening.

Wounded victims Analyn and Alily remained in critical condition at a hospital in the city.

The police have started preparing cases of double murder and double frustrated murder against the suspects, he said.

The suspects have been placed in the custody of the Masbate City Police Station while investigations continue to establish the motive behind the crime, according to Cabintoy.