BOLINAO, Pangasinan—The Bolinao Police has arrested a suspected member of a gun-for-hire group here for illegal possession of firearm.
Verbo Villareal, 70, former chairman of barangay Luna here and a suspected member of Catabay gun-for-hire group in this town, yielded a homemade caliber .38 handgun, locally known as Paltik, with four live ammunition when police, equipped with search warrant, raided his house on Wednesday.
“We got information that he (Villareal) is still in contact with Catabay, who is the number one most wanted person in our town for murder, and that they are forming a new group,” Chief Insp. Joseph Mark Sibayan, Bolinao police chief, said in a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) Friday.
Sibayan said Villareal was suspected to be involved in in the killings of Edgar Tugade, Joseph Tugade and Eduardo Malindog, in 1990.
“There were no cases filed against him, as these were mediated allegedly, and the guns used in the crime were high- powered,” he said
He added that “it is now up to the court to decide on Villareal’s case, considering his age.” (Hilda Austria/PNA)
