5 arrested in Laguna farm for murder of Pangasinan mayor

MANILA, Philippines—Four men and a woman being linked to the ambush of a Pangasinan mayor early this year were arrested at a Laguna farm estate before dawn Thursday.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group and other law enforcement agencies apprehended the suspects while serving a search warrant in Barangay (village) Macabling in Sta. Rosa.

Arrested were George Fajardo, Ricardo de Rueda Jr., Pablo Javier, Norito Garfel and Estrella Lina at a farm estate owned by Fajardo. Also recovered was an assortment of guns, ammunition and illegal drugs.

CIDG Director Benjamin Magalong said the suspects would be investigated for their alleged link to the killing of Urbiztondo, Pangasinan Mayor Ernesto Balolong Jr. last June.

“We cannot categorically say that they are the suspects in the Balolong case, but we are investigating their possible link to it,” the official said.

A source said an intelligence report had linked the suspects to the ambush although they have not yet been positively identified as the perpetrators.

Balolong, his police escort and a civilian were killed on June 7 after he was ambushed in his town while checking the venue for his 25th wedding anniversary. Four others were injured.

Prior to Thursday’s operation, the CIDG carried out three weeks of surveillance and intelligence-gathering with other law enforcement agencies.

The CIDG operation with the Police Regional Office in Region 1, Special Action Force, and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was by virtue of three search warrants issued by a Manila court.

The policemen recovered a kilo of shabu, an electronic weighing scale and several drug paraphernalia.

This was aside from four high-powered rifles, six pistols of unknown caliber, 11 shotguns, 20 pistols of 9 mm caliber, an M4 rifle with silencer and ammunition, Magalong said.

The suspects will be charged with illegal possession of firearms and violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.