PNP eye three angles in jail officer’s ambus-slay

By: Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – Police Station 9 here is looking into work-related, drug-related, and personal activities as possible motives in the case of a jail officer who was gunned down at Purok Katipunan, Barangay Cabug here Friday.

Police Lieutenant Jonito Pastrana, head of Police Station 9, said the recent attack against 28-year-old Jail Officer 1 Jayvee Jason Vargas, happened six months after he survived an ambush at Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. (Bredco) port here.

Pastrana said they are looking closely into drug-related since Vargas and his father, a retired jail officer were allegedly linked to the illegal drug trade.

But he said that they are also investigating if the killing has something to do with the victim’s work or personal life.

He said Vargas, who was assigned at Metro Bacolod District Jail (MBDJ) in Barangay Handumanan, was supposed to report for duty in Iloilo on Monday.

Pastrana said Vargas was driving a white Mitsubishi Strada on his way home after fetching his father and his three other relatives from a cockpit at Barangay Pahanocoy when a blue Toyota Innova and two motorcycles tailed them around 11:50 p.m.

The two motorcycles blocked his car while unidentified armed persons disembarked from the Innova and fired high-powered firearms at them, he added.

Another Toyota Hilux and motorcycle also blocked them and more armed men fired their guns at them, the station commander said.

The victim’s car swerved and hit a piggery, where his father and three relatives hid after getting out of the vehicle.

Vargas died on the spot due to head injuries while his cousin, Gian Philip Yoro, 25, of Barangay Handumanan, injured his back. The three other passengers sufferd minor bruises.

Police recovered from the scene almost 200 casings of M16, M14, calibers .9mm, and .45 ammunitions.

Pastrana said the suspects wanted Vargas dead because of the firearms used by the suspects.

He said the armed men were possibly members of an organized group or hired gunmen because of the manner on the commission of the crime.

“It was planned well,” he said. But, he cannot yet establish if somebody was behind the attack because they have no lead yet on the identities of the perpetrators.