DUMAGUETE CITY – Philippine National Police (PNP) authorities seized Thursday morning a high-powered firearm, short firearms and ammunition during a raid at the house of a suspect in Wednesday’s bloody attack on farmers in Siaton, Negros Oriental.
PNP provincial director Senior Supt. Edwin Portento quoted a progress report from the Siaton police station as saying that the firearms and ammunition were recovered during the service of a search warrant at the house of suspect Roswil Antanoy of Sitio Bondo, Barangay Napacao in Siaton town.
Recovered during the raid were a .357 caliber revolver with 11 rounds of live ammunition, a .45 caliber pistol with seven live rounds of ammunition, a 9mm Luger sub-machine gun with 25 live rounds of ammunition, and 10 pieces of live ammunition for a shotgun, the report said.
Antanoy is among the five suspects, allegedly security guards, who were arrested Wednesday after they allegedly shot and killed four farmers – three women and a man, and wounded another male farmer in Barangay Napacao, Siaton.
Following their arrest on Wednesday, the police had also recovered from the suspects four shotguns, 41 rounds of ammunition for 12-gauge shotgun, one magazine for 9mm firearm containing 23 rounds of live ammunition.
Upon initial verification, the NICO Investigation and Security Services Agency with an office at Cangmating, Sibulan in Negros Oriental and a regional office in Mandaue City, Cebu, showed that the four shotguns were issued by the agency, but the guards could not present supporting documents. Instead, they presented a duty detail order (DDO) for five security guards.
Siaton police chief, Insp. Rafael Lorenz Serion, had earlier said that based on initial findings, the victims were shot at close range by short firearms, as evidenced by fired shells recovered from the crime scene. This prompted them to secure a search warrant in search of the missing firearms.
Executive Judge Gerardo Paguio, Jr. had issued the search warrant for violation of Republic Act 10591, otherwise known as the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Appropriate criminal charges are being prepared for filing against the suspects, namely, Roswil Antanoy, 29, male, single, of Barangay Cabang, Jimalalud, but with current address in Napacao; Edilberto Torres Pancho, 41, male, married, and a resident of Barangay San Jose, Tanjay City; Reynante Baylon Rubia, 36, single, of Barangay Maluay, Zamboanguita; Nelcher Abril Abordo, 24, single, of Barangay Malabuhan, Siaton; and Jason Torres Ramos, 31, single, and a resident of Sitio Bondo, Barangay Napacao in Siaton, all in Negros Oriental.
The suspects are accused of having shot to death the farmers, who the police identified as Jessebel Amantillo Abayle, 34, female, married; Carmelina Garingo Amantillo, 57, female, married; Consolacion Esparcia Cadevida, 66, female, married, all farmers and residents of Sitio Bondo, Barangay Napacao in Siaton; and Felimon Torres Molero, 66, male, married, and a resident of Sitio Salngan, Barangay Mayabon in Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental.
The farmers were just having a break from harvesting sugarcane from the landholding of Don Gaspar Vicente in Napacao, Siaton when the suspects suddenly fired at them, the police said.
A land dispute is being eyed as the reason for the shooting incident, at which a grenade was also thrown at the victims and had exploded.
The suspects have already been subjected to paraffin tests at the PNP Crime Laboratory here.
The police have also yet to determine the real owner of the guns seized in Thursday’s raid and if these are licensed. (With a report from Juanco Gallarde/PNA)
