22 suspects face raps over Espino ambush
Murder, frustrated murder charges filed against hired guns, vehicle owners
SAN CARLOS CITY—A regional task force has file dt wo counts o f mu rder and four counts of frustrated murder cases against 22 suspects in the ambush of former Pangasinan Gov. Amado Espino Jr .he re on Sept. 11.
The cases wer ef ile do n Tuesday in the city prosecutor’s office based on “sufficient forensic examination and other pieces of evidence,” Poli ceb rig. Gen. Joel orduña, Ilocos regional police director , sa id at ap ress briefing here.
Tagge di n the ambush were Albert Palisoc, alias Alvin Pascaran; Armando Frias, alias Jong; Benjie Resultan; Joey Ferrer ;R onnie d el os Santos; Gerry Pascua, alias Kagawad Guapo; Sherwi nd iaz; Teofilo Ferrer, ali as P ong; a certain Russel, alias Sel; Jewel Castro ;J ohn Paul Regalado; Alfred Pascaran; and 10 unidentified suspects.
Espino and his securit ya ides were o na two-car convoy when gunmen opened fir ea tt hem at 4 p.m. on Sept. 11. Espino was wounded and his escort ,P olice Master Sergeant Richard Esguerra, and driver, Agapito Cuizo ,were killed.
Tw oot her aides wer ew ounded while the driver of his backup vehicle was unhurt.
Hired guns
Orduña, who heads the task force, said except for Castro and Regalado, the suspect sa re known members of a gun-forhire syndicate.
Police said Castro and Regalado were the owners of two vehicles, a Ford Everest and a Hyunda ie lantra, that were reportedly used by the suspects.
The Ford Everest was found abandoned at Barangay Pasima in nearby Malasiqui town while the Hyunda ie lantra was recovered in barangay Cobol here.
Foun di nside the two cars were two M14 rifles and a customized M16 rifle, a hand grenade and bullets, jacket san d bonnets
According to investigators, Castro and Regalado faile d to justify why their vehicles were used in the attack.
Gunman identified
Palisoc, who has a warrant of arrest for another murder case, was one of the gunmen in the ambush, Orduña said.
The task force obtained evidence tha ti ncluded closed-circuit television footage in the areas and accounts of witnesses who identified them, he said.
Orduña sa idt hey had ye tto consider it a closed case since investigator s we r es till trying to identify the mastermind.
Death threats
Earlier ,Police Col. Redrico Maranan, Pangasinan police director , said Espino had requested for police security after getting death threats two weeks before the ambush.
Espino also served as representative of Pangasinan’s fifth district . He l os ti nh is reelection bid in the May 13 midterm elections.
Police sa idt hey wer el ooking into politics, business rivalry and personal grudge as t hep ossible motives behin dt he attack.
Espin ot hanke dt he p olice for filing the case agains tt he suspects. In a statement ,he said it was a “miracle” to survive the “heavy gun fire from powerful firearms that kept pounding on us for almost one minute.”