CABANATUAN CITY – After more than two years in hiding, the suspect in the murder of five people in Bataan and Pampanga was arrested by joint police operatives from Regions 3, 6 and 8 in an outskirt village of Ulayan in the municipality of Villareal, Western Samar on Friday.
Chief Insp. Romeo Lanzarrote, provincial officer of Nueva Ecija Criminal Investigation and Detection Team who led the local counterpart, said the suspect, identified as Dandan Belarde, was arrested by the composite team on the strength of search warrants issued by Judge Emmanuel Silva of the Regional Trial Court Branch 4 of Mariveles, Bataan.
The suspect was using the alias John Gabiano y Casaljay in an apparent attempt to conceal his true identity in the place, police reported.
Lanzarrote said Belarde allegedly shot dead a certain Marcelina Melanio y Marambafor refusing to give him money, and seaman Michael Villaflores who was mistaken to be police responder being in fatigue pants in Mariveles, Bataan on July 14, 2012.
The suspect was also indicted as member of a crime group that allegedly killed Bantay Bayan members Reynaldo Canlas and Romeo Garcia in Apalit, Pampanga on March 13, 2012, and in the killing of a certain Benito Evangelista along Earnshaw St., Sampaloc, Manila and attempted robbery with frustrated homicide against Crisologo Pangan, an employee of television network ABS-CBN who was mistaken to be a money courier on Feb. 25, 2012.
Lanzarrote said the operation was a result of intensified CIDT offices’ coordination ordered by CIDG Director Benjin Mangalong and Nueva Ecija Gov. Aurelio Umali. “This proves that the arms of the law is long enough to put criminals in jail,” Lanzarrote said.
