High powered firearms used in ambush

HIGH powered firearms were used by the assailants during the ambush of a jail vehicle in Barangay Kalunasan last Thursday.

Killing everyone on board.

At least 30 empty shells of a M-16 rifle and .45 caliber pistol were recovered from the crime scene.

Police have also identified a person of interest, although Cebu City Police Director, Senior Supt. Royina Garma declined to give any details lest it hamper their follow up operation.

Garna also described as “coincidence” the fact that surveilance cameras installed by Barangay Kalunasan near the crime scene conked out hours before the ambush but resumed 15 minutes after the incident.

“That’s what we call coincidence,” Garma said.

But Guadalupe Police Station Chief, Senior Insp. Eduard Sanchez said they will investigate this “unique occurrence” and if it is related to the ambush.

Barangay employees who man the CCTV cameras said the cameras can apparently be stopped by signal jammers as they noticed this during a recent greyhound operation.

Meanwhile Garma said that they are now looking for the one of the gunmen in the killing of drug suspect Jerryfer Perigrino and prison guards Bernie Bayutas and Joel Tevez.

“We cannot divulge any other details because it might hamper our operation,” said Garma.

Motives

Garma said that rivalry in the illegal drug trade could be the motive in the killing of the three victims.

The police official added that it is also likely that Perigrino was killed to silence him as during previous police interrogations, he had identified another high-profile inmate Alvaro “Barok” Alvaro as the one responsible for the proliferation of illegal drugs at CPDRC.

“Maybe he was killed because he squealed. That’s how dirty the illegal drug trade is,” said Garma.

Also included in the investigation is the fact that the assailants did not spare the two jail guards.

Bayutas and Tevez were among the jail guards being investigated by the Capitol’s Committee on Discipline and Investigation (CODI) over allegations that some prison guards are in cahoots with inmates in the illegal drug activities inside the CPDRC.

CPDRC is being managed by the provincial government.

Sanchez said the assailants may have intentionally included the two jail guards.

“We already have their (jail guards) profiles from the CPDRC. We are studying if they are connected to the illegal drug trade within the jail,” said Sanchez.

Sanchez said that the backgrounds of Bayutas and Tevez need to be established in order to assess whether they were involved in the illegal drug trade inside the jail.

Garma also believes illegal drug activities continue to thrive in jails because of the involvement of some jail guards.

“You will not survive in the illegal drug trade if you don’t have connections,” she said.

The families of Bayutas and Tevez declined to give any statement.

“Sa atong nakita gahapon, murag dako gyod ang ilang kalagot kay gikan sa babaw pag-abot sa pagbangga, gitiwasan pa gyod,” added Sanchez.
(What we observed is that the perpetrators may have been reallyhave held deep grudges against the victims because even when the vehicle crashed, the perpetrators continued firing.)

Safety

Meanwhile, Garma assured that other inmates have no reason to fear for their safety especially when they are transported for court hearings.

“If you have nothing to fear, then do not be afraid for your safety. If you are still into illegal drug peddling, then stop it,” said Garma.