Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Negros Oriental Police Provincial Office chief, says that police continue to pursue the suspects in the killing of Barangay Kalamtukan chief, Johnny Condez.| Florence Baesa
DUMAGUETE CITY, Negros Oriental, Philippines — Names of the nine suspects in the bloody December 14, 2019 attack of a group on the barangay captain of Kalamtukan, Bayawan City have been released by the Negros Oriental police.
This after the six tracker teams failed to arrest the suspects, who were believed to have left the city and were now in hiding.
To recall, Barangay Captain Johnny Condez and a 16-year-old boy died while the father of the minor was wounded in the ambush.
Police Colonel Julian Entoma, Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) chief, said in an interview with CDN Digital that Julian Sandot, a farmer who was arrested in a followup operation hours after the ambush, identified the alleged leader of the group, who ambushed the barangay captain, and his eight other alleged cohorts.
Sandot told police that the alleged leader of assailants was John Paul Condez, who is the nephew of the victim, while the other eight alleged cohorts were Junjun Condez, John Paul’s elder brother; Luther Sandot; Panoy Sandot; Ian Sandot; Rj Sandot, Junjun Sandot; Dondon Juanitez; and Gamay dela Cruz.
Julian Sandot, one of the suspects in the deadly ambush of Barangay Captain Johnny Condez, has identified the suspects in the attack.| File photo courtesy of Bayawan Police
Entoma admitted that the six tracker teams of the police headed by Police Major Michael Aydoc, Bayawan City police chief, failed to locate and neutralize the nine armed suspects.
To recall the provincial director gave Aydoc until December 18, 2019 to get the suspects dead or alive.
“Kung di pa to siya (John Paul) madakpan magpadayon pa to siya nga at large dunay posibilidad nga magbinaslanay another killing nga mahitabo sa Bayawan, sa pamilya. Sila ra man gud na nga mga paryente. Ang pinaka end ana either madakpan o mosurrender, “Entoma said.
(If John Paul would not be arrested, there’s a possibility that another killing in the (Condez) family would happen in Bayawan. These families were just the ones doing these. So to end the violence between the families, it’s either we arrest John Paul or he will surrender to authorities)
This is the barangay rescue vehicle that Barangay Kalamtukan captain, Johnny Condez, and his companions were riding on when they were ambushed in the barangay on December 14. | file photo courtesy of Bayawan police
He assured the Police Regional director, who told him on Monday evening that he would not want another killing from the group, that he had already deployed police officers in the area.
“I said, sir meron na akong nilagay na tropa doon sa barangay mismo aron ma contain na sila. Kung naa may laing patay siguro ato ng pulis ang makapatay. Mao nay akong pasalig sa regional director,” Entoma said.
(I told the regional director that I have already deployed troops in the barangay to contain the feuding families. If there would be a killing, it would probably be the police in doing their duty to defend themselves and neutralize attackers. That is what I assured the regional director.)/dbs