THEY FINALLY GOT THE DAD
EX-BRGY. CAPTAIN OF LAGTANG, TALISAY KILLED 3 MONTHS AFTER MEN AMBUSHED HIS SON DEAD
The murder of Mark Ferdinand “Dindin” Bas may have been the result of infighting in drug groups: PRO 7 Director Sinas Two men reportedly barged into victim’s rented apartment in Barangay Simala, Sibonga and shot Bas several times The charges for possession of an unlicensed revolver and various ammunition against Bas are considered “terminated”
Police are eying the alleged involvement of former Lagtang, Talisay City barangay captain Mark Ferdinand “Dindin” Bas in drug trafficking as the possible motive behind his murder.
Dindin, 42, was shot dead by five unidentified men inside his rented apartment in Sitio Dumlog, Barangay Simala, Sibonga around 11 p.m. last Sunday.
The victim succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds in the head and other parts of the body.
Police Regional Office 7 Director Debold Sinas has ordered a thorough investigation to determine why Dindin was in Sibonga.
“We were wondering why he was hiding there,” Sinas said in Cebuano. “Maybe he was hiding from someone. Maybe he had a rival or an enemy in the illegal drugs trade.”
It was only yesterday Sinas learned that Dindin was in Sibonga.
“All the while (during) the monitoring (we thought) he was in Talisay,” Sinas said.
The police official said there is a possibility that there is infighting in the drug groups.
Sinas said a special investigation task group (SITG) might be created to fast-track the resolution of the murder, but it is not needed if Sibonga police investigators can handle it.
Account of the attack
An SITG, he said, can only be created if the victim is a government official, a media personality or if the case is sensational.
The police official also wants to know who owns the apartment rented by Dindin, who may have continued his illegal activities in Sibonga.
According to initial investigation, the house’s caretaker saw three gunmen standing near the gate.
Two men then barged inside by destroying the door with an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) tank. They then shot Dindin who was upstairs.
The caretaker failed to see any of the assailants’ faces.
Sibonga Police Chief Stephen Amamag-id said they received a phone call past 1 a.m. yesterday about a shooting alarm inside the apartment rented by Dindin.
But when his men arrived in the area, the place was quiet and the neighbors refused to talk to them. His men decided to leave a few minutes later.
It was Dindin’s live-in partner who called the police around 6:45 a.m. to inform them that Dindin was dead.
She said she learned about the incident when the apartment’s landlady called her past 6:30 a.m.
She said they have been renting the apartment for the last three months. However, she said she was in Cebu City when the shooting happened.
Last April 15, 2017, operatives of the Cebu Provincial Police Office-Provincial Intelligence Branch raided his residence at Kishanta Subdivision in Barangay Lagtang, Talisay City.
Seized from his possession were a .22 revolver, 42 live ammo for a .45 pistol, 12 empty shells from a .45 pistol, one extended long magazine and two short magazines for a .45 pistol, 42 empty shells from a .22 revolver and one hand grenade
Government prosecutors indicted Dindin for violating Republic Act 10591, or “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Law on Firearms and Ammunition and Providing Penalties for the Violation Thereof,” before the Regional Trial Court.
Murder in the family
Dindin was released from jail after posting bail. He later resigned from his post after he was included on the list of the President’s narco-politicians.
He was also linked to self-confessed drug lord Franz Sabalones, who surrendered to then Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa in 2016.
Dindin was ranked no. 4 in the Talisay City Police Office’s list of high-value targets.
Now that Dindin is dead, what will happen to the charges for possession of an unlicensed revolver and various ammunition that he was facing?
According to retired judge Meinrado Paredes, the criminal and even civil liabilities arising from the crime are extinguished following the death of the accused, pursuant to Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code.
“The case pending for resolution shall be terminated, particularly when the crime is ‘victim-less,’ or there is no private offended party to the case,” Paredes told SunStar Cebu in an interview.
However, an independent civil action may be initiated against the estate or legal representative of the accused by the direct offended party, under Section 3 of Revised Penal Code.
Dindin was the son of Talisay City Councilor Arturo Bas.
Dindin’s son, 23-year-old Art Stephen Bas, who was a councilor in Barangay Lagtang, was killed in an ambush by two unidentified men on two motorcycles while driving his vehicle at the South Road Properties last July 20.