Suspect in Pasay cop’s murder tags barangay chair as mastermind

An incumbent barangay chair in Pasay City has been arrested after the suspect in the killing of a policeman who recently returned from deployment in Mindanao tagged him as the mastermind.

Barangay 46 Chair Nestor Advincula was taken into custody by authorities on Monday, along with the alleged gunman, 19-year-old Norman Yrad, and his accomplice, Anthony Jay Monsalve, 33.

The three were arrested for the killing of PO2 Rafael Sibunga on May 31.

Chief Supt. Tomas Apolinario Jr., Southern Police District SPD chief, said Yrad was the first to be arrested during a manhunt operation on Sunday.

Yrad, who like the victim was also a resident of Barangay 46, admitted that Advincula hired him and Monsalve to kill the policeman for P20,000.

Sibunga was previously assigned at the SPD Drug Enforcement Unit. He was reassigned last year to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao due to a grave misconduct case.

Drug exposé

“Apparently, Sibunga was about to reveal a list of local chief executives involved in illegal drugs and [Advincula] was on the list,” Apolinario said.

The police are also looking into the possibility that political rivalry led to the policeman’s killing.

Sibunga’s son, Moises, ran for barangay chair but lost to Advincula’s wife, Perlita, an incumbent barangay councilor, in last month’s local elections.

Advincula, who is serving his last term as barangay chair, ran for councilor and won.