4 men charged for murder try

FOUR persons were charged before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor for allegedly trying to kill a 30-yearold farmer in an ambush in Barangay Taloot, Argao, Cebu.

The town police filed a frustrated murder complaint against Fretchie Gecale, Enrique Solis, Raque Selada and Jimboy Mejares last week.

The suspects allegedly attacked Roel Antiquina Gomez, who was hit in the back. He survived.

PO3 Bernie Lao, in a phone interview, said Gecale allegedly held a grudge against Gomez, who reportedly shot the suspect in Sibonga earlier.

The four suspects remained at large.

Lao said Gecale and Gomez are known toughies in their neighborhood.

Before the incident happened last July 27 at 2 p.m., Gomez was driving his motorcycle. He later reached a corn mill and saw a motorcycle driven by Selada.

Thirty minutes later, Gomez reached the chapel in Sitio Tonggo, Taloot. He noticed Gecale, Solis and Mejares standing by the roadside.

The armed suspects then shot Gomez, who left his motorcycle and hid behind the trunk of a coconut tree.

Gomez ran toward the tall grasses after he got hit in the left portion of his buttocks.

The town police responded later after the incident was reported to them by a resident.

They brought Gomez to the town’s Isidro C. Kintanar Memorial Hospital, but he was later transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City.

After he was released from VSMMC, Gomez was also detained and was charged before the provincial prosecutor’s office af- ter an unlicensed .45 pistol was recovered from his possession by the responding officers, said Lao.

Lao said Gecale was arrested for pointing a gun at his neighbor two years ago. But he was released after the victim forgave him.

Last January, Gomez was charged with murder after he allegedly hacked farmer Amanda Embudo, 31. He escaped arrest that time.

Embudo came from a hearing at the barangay hall in Lingigon to testify against Gomez, who was accused of stealing coconut in the neighborhood.