ILOILO City – A man was arrested around 7:30 p.m. on Monday, August 5, on Girado Street, Barangay Magsaysay, Guimbal, Iloilo for allegedly shooting and killing the former village chief of Barangay Ingore, La Paz district here.
Captain Marlon Perez, chief of the La Paz police station, said the suspect was identified as Nilo Guardaya, 39. Also arrested was his companion, Jerson Guintapao, 35. They were both residents of the town’s Barangay Igcocolo.
They were tracked down and captured by joint operatives of the Guimbal Municipal Police Station, Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO) and Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO).
Captain Perez added they were caught while riding a motorcycle en route to Tigbauan town.
Police confiscated their motorcycle, a bag containing items similar to those seen in a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage during the shooting, and a .9mm pistol, which is distinct from the weapon used in the crime, according to Perez.
In an interview, Guardaya strongly denied being a “hired killer” and claimed he was chopping wood at his home in Barangay Igcocolo during the incident. He added that he was with his wife and children, listening to news of the shooting incident in Barangay Baldoza, La Paz.
He further urged the police to conduct a fair and unbiased investigation.
To recall, Ernie Poral, former barangay captain of Ingore was shot by the gunman while buying chicken feeds at a public market in Barangay Baldoza on Monday morning.
Poral sustained a gunshot wound on his head and was pronounced dead by the attending physician at the West Visayas State University Medical Center.
Evangeline Poral, wife of the late former village chief, expressed her conviction that Guardaya was the one who killed her husband.
She said, on the day of the shooting, after having coffee with her husband, a CCTV footage from Barangay Magdalo, La Paz showed a motorcyclist passing by ahead of their vehicle.
Evangeline added that a man had been seen loitering near their home when they reviewed the CCTV footage.
Meanwhile, Colonel Kim Legada, director of the ICPO, stated that backtracking the suspect’s movements through CCTV footage and operative descriptions was instrumental in the investigation.
Colonel Bayani Razalan, IPPO director, added that Guardaya was also a suspect in the shooting incident in Barangay Villa Anita, City Proper last March. He has four criminal records, including a murder case dated March 17, 2024.
Captain Perez told Panay News yesterday afternoon that they are set to file murder charges against Guardaya on Tuesday night.
Guintapao, meanwhile, will face charges of obstruction of justice for hindering the police during Guardaya’s arrest.
Police added that Guardaya also faced charges for a vehicular accident in Barangay Supa, Tigbauan on January 17, 2013; an estafa case; and a violation of the Forestry Code or illegal logging in Barangay Mambiranan, Calinog./PN
