ILOILO – A 40-year-old stay-in driver was gunned down outside his employer’s residence in Parc Regency Subdivision, Barangay Ungka II, Pavia, Iloilo, on Thursday night, April 3.
The victim identified as Wilmer Casquite Villarosa was shot multiple times by two gunmen at around 9:45 p.m. before they fled.
Pavia police said Villarosa was temporarily residing in the subdivision as a driver for Land Transportation Office (LTO) Region 6 director Atty. Gaudioso Geduspan.
Authorities immediately launched a hot pursuit and dragnet operation to track down the perpetrators.
By 5:37 a.m. yesterday, April 4, police intercepted at a checkpoint in Barangay Aspera, Sara, Iloilo the suspects identified as Jester Dela Cruz Machinal, 45, a former overseas Filipino worker (OFW), and Jessie Dela Cruz Machinal, 39, single and jobless, both residents of Barangay Ungka II, Pavia.
According to Major Harold Rendora, Pavia police chief, the suspects were apprehended after authorities identified their getaway vehicle and coordinated a checkpoint with other police units under the Iloilo Police Provincial Office (IPPO).
“The swift coordination of our units led to the successful interception and arrest of the suspects in Sara, Iloilo. We are now preparing the necessary documents for the filing of criminal charges through inquest proceedings,” Rendora said.
The suspects are now in the custody of Pavia Municipal Police Station (MPS) for booking and documentation. Criminal charges for murder under Article 248 of the Revised Penal Code are set to be filed against them./PN
