Fugitive ex-cop in controversial Iloilo businessman murder finally yields

By Jennifer P. Rendon

After four years on the run, a former police officer linked to the controversial killing of an Iloilo businessman surrendered early Sunday, July 5.

The 40-year-old suspect, identified by the alias Jerry, is a resident of Arevalo, Iloilo City.

He turned himself in directly to Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño, acting director of Police Regional Office 6.

The surrender took place at the regional police headquarters in Camp Martin Delgado at approximately 12:45 a.m.

Jerry faces an outstanding murder warrant issued by the 6th Regional Trial Court Branch 31 in Iloilo City on April 26, 2022.

The presiding judge recommended no bail for his temporary liberty.

Tuaño attributed the peaceful surrender to sustained intelligence operations, effective inter-agency coordination, and continuous police-community engagement.

“Ayon mismo sa kanya, nagpasya siyang sumuko dahil gusto na niyang harapin ang kanyang kaso upang matapos na ang problemang kanyang kinakaharap. Ang mahalaga ay mapayapa nating naipatupad ang warrant of arrest at maiharap siya sa hukuman nang naaayon sa batas,” Tuaño said.

The regional police chief emphasized that peaceful conflict resolutions are frequently the result of sound law enforcement work.

Upon surrendering, Jerry turned over his government-issued Taurus TS9 service firearm and one magazine.

He is currently in the custody of Iloilo City Police Station 1 for documentation and eventual transfer to the court.

Jerry’s surrender follows a highly publicized and controversial attempt to arrest him just days prior.

On the afternoon of July 1, heavily armed personnel from the Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group stormed Iloilo City Police Station 4.

The IMEG operatives, backed by the Special Action Force, acted on a tip that Jerry was hiding inside the precinct.

At the time of the raid, local station personnel were preparing for a separate anti-illegal drug operation.

The raiding team allegedly forced their fellow officers to lie on the floor while temporarily disarming them and confiscating their mobile phones.

The sudden operation created a tense standoff inside the police station.

A barangay official and a local media reporter, who were present to witness the planned drug bust, were reportedly held at gunpoint.

A thorough search of the premises ultimately revealed that the fugitive was not there.

The raid was reportedly conducted without prior coordination with higher headquarters, sparking multiple official investigations.

The National Police Commission 6 immediately launched a probe, citing the raiding team’s lack of body-worn cameras.

The commission warned that the uncoordinated operation carries major implications for police discipline and standard operating procedures.

The Police Regional Office 6 leadership has also called for a comprehensive investigation into the operational lapses.

The former police corporal is the primary suspect in the ambush of 36-year-old businessman Delfin Britanico on Jan. 19, 2020.

Britanico was shot dead while riding his motorcycle through Barangay Nabitasan in the La Paz district of Iloilo City.

Prior to the businessman’s murder, the same group of officers was accused of killing a suspected drug personality.

The National Bureau of Investigation filed murder and theft charges against Jerry and three other suspects on May 29, 2020.

One of the co-accused officers later surrendered to the NBI and applied to become a state witness.

Jerry’s controversial record extends to his time as a patrolman in 2018.

He was one of seven Regional Drug Enforcement Unit 6 members investigated for a contentious raid on the family of slain Western Visayas drug lord Melvin Odicta.

The Dec. 13, 2018, operation targeted the Jaro, Iloilo City, residence of the Regalado family.

Following the raid, 84-year-old family matriarch Candelaria Regalado filed criminal and administrative charges against the operatives.

In her sworn affidavit, Regalado stated the accused “looted, took and carried away against my will and consent my personal properties that were being kept at my house.”

She claimed the officers committed the act “by destroying the closets and drawers where I kept my valuable belongings with a clear intent to gain.”

Regalado alleged that the raiding team made off with belongings worth an estimated PHP 2,466,000.

The Philippine National Police Regional Investigation and Detective Management Division temporarily shelved the administrative case due to a lack of immediate evidence.

The agency recommended that the case “be temporarily shelved off without prejudice to the reopening of the same if substantial, clear, and corroborating evidence will be presented later.”