Marcos VM, 4 others charged with mayor’s murder

Police have filed multiple criminal charges against the vice mayor of Marcos town, Ilocos Norte and four other suspects in the murder of Mayor Arsenio Agustin and his driver, Mark Valencia, last June 3 during a dam project inspection in Barangay Mabuti in the said town.

A total of 28 counts of criminal charges, including double murder, double frustrated murder, and multiple attempted murder, were filed last Monday before the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office in Laoag City against Marcos Vice Mayor Jessie Ermitanio.

Ermitanio’s four co-accused were identified by the Marcos Municipal Police Station (MPS) as Hardy dela Paz, alias “Ardie,” of Barangay Layugan, Bucay, Abra; Jose Dato, alias “Espanyol,” of Barangay Manaboc, Burgos, Ilocos Sur; Renato Esta, alias “Rene,” of Barangay Lydia, Marcos, Ilocos Norte; and Bernie Lazo, alias “Bernie,” of Barangay San Julian, Abulog, Cagayan.

Senior Inspector Joseph Calderon, chief of police of Marcos, said the Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) “Agustin” gathered sufficient evidence to link Vice Mayor Ermitanio and the four others in the fatal shooting of Agustin at 11 a.m. of June 3 in Sitio Cabua-an, Barangay Mabuti, Marcos.

Calderon said the SITG’s investigation showed that the motives in the killing were political vendetta and revenge.

It will be recalled that on April 4, 2017, Ermitanio, 42, and two of his staff members, were wounded in an ambush near Padsan River in Barangay Daquioag in Marcos. His third companion, Lucky Jesrel Rumbaoa, 21, was killed.