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BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO and RESEL JOY TIANERO
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Monday, January 16, 2017
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ILOILO City – Two alleged hit men of slain suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta Sr. were arrested. They yielded a grenade, unlicensed firearms and ammunitions in Barangay Poblacion 2, Estancia, Iloilo.
Jimson Parohinog, 56, was a resident of the barangay. Rish Villanueva, a 33-year-old resident of Barangay Rizal Ibarra, Iloilo City, was his helper.
One of the guns recovered, a .38 Taurus revolver, was traced to slain suspected subgroup leader of Odicta, Roberto “Toto” Supremo, according to Senior Superintendent Harold Tuzon, director of the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
The suspects were the subject of a search warrant that Judge Rogelio Amador of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 66 issued. The IPPO sought for it after receiving information that the suspects were hoarding unlicensed firearms, ammunitions and explosives.
Cops raided Parohinog’s house around 9:45 a.m. on Saturday and also recovered a .22 revolver, an M2 carbine and assorted ammunitions.
A .38 revolver and an M2k hand grenade were seized from Villanueva.
Tuzon said intelligence information pointed to the two suspects as hit men working for Odicta.
For failing to present documents showing their legal ownership of the recoveries, the suspects face a charge for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.
Supremo, 66, was shot dead by policemen last Oct. 2, 2016 in Barangay Rizal-Estanzuela, City Proper. He tried to lob a hand grenade to police operatives subjecting him to a buy-bust.
The police classified Supremo as Odicta’s “No. 3 man.”
Realizing he was being entrapped after handing two sachets of shabu for P300 to a buyer who turned out to be an undercover police officer, Supremo ran to his house, locked the steel gate and went upstairs.
Policemen chased Supremo, destroyed the gate and shot the suspect upon seeing him holding a grenade. Nearly two months before this, Odicta and wife Meriam were shot dead by still unidentified assassins on Aug. 29, 2016 at the jetty port in Caticlan, Malay, Aklan.
According to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in Region 6, Odicta was the drug lord Dragon operating in Iloilo city and province, and nearby provinces.
Parohinog and Villanueva were arrested a day after a man suspected to be a brother of Meriam was busted in Barangay Tan Pael, Tigbauan, Iloilo.
Friday afternoon last week, the 40-year-old Armand Regalado was detained at the Tigbauan police station.
Senior Inspector Rowena Hubero, Tigbauan police chief, described Regalado as a high-value target of the IPPO.
Regalado was arrested after an “asset” of the Tigbauan police successfully bought a sachet of shabu from the suspect around 3:30 p.m.
After Regalado’s arrest, cops recovered 13 more sachets of shabu from the suspect.
According to Hubero, Regalado had long been under surveillance.
The suspect denied being a brother of Meriam Odicta whose maiden name was Regalado.
He also said his sources of income were legitimate – an eatery, videoke bar and boardinghouses near St. Therese – MTC Colleges./PN
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