By Jennifer P. Rendon, Glazyl Y. Masculino, and Felipe V. Celino
Three persons tagged in the illegal drug trade were gunned down in separate incidents in Capiz and Negros Occidental Tuesday morning
In Sigma, Capiz, a couple who faced illegal drug charges was shot dead inside their store.
Police believed that Rodrigo Nepomuceno, 55, and his live-in partner, Rondalia Sarona, 57, instantly died after the gun attack around 7:10AM of January 26 at their roadside store in Barangay Mianay.
Lieutenant Rey Gimeno, Signa police chief, said the couple had just opened their store and were arranging their goods when a lone gunman alighted from a gray Toyota Innova AUV.
Gimeno said the man may have been armed with a caliber .45 and caliber .9mm pistols on both hands.
He immediately sprayed bullets at the two victims, boarded the vehicle, and sped off.
Witnesses claimed they could not make out the assailant’s face who was wearing a bonnet.
Gimeno said they have yet to identify the suspects behind the killing but it is possible that the incident could be drug related.
The couple, who have children from previous partners, was arrested in a buy-bust operation in Mambusao, Capiz several years ago.
Police learned they were released from jail after availing of a plea-bargaining agreement some two years ago.
They settled in Sigma after a little over six months ago after they bought a lot in the town.
They established a small business, but village officials claimed that Nepomuceno still went home to nearby Ivisan town.
The woman, who is a native of Sultan Kudarat, tended to their small business.
“They were not considered as bonafide residents of Barangay Mianay,” Gimeno said.
Because of their previous drugs involvement, the local police told village officials to monitor their movement.
“Barangay officials claimed they haven’t noticed anything unusual from the couple. Our monitoring also showed they’re not operating in Sigma,” he said.
But Gimeno said police stations in neighboring towns claimed that the couple could have been peddling illegal drugs in the area.
As this developed, Gimeno said they are still gathering evidence and testimonies to identify the suspects.
BACOLOD INCIDENT
In Bacolod City, a man who was facing illegal drug charges was killed by two unidentified men on a motorcycle at Kalye Onse, Barangay Mambulac, Silay City, Negros Occidental yesterday.
Police identified the victim as Rodulfo Cain Jr., 54, of the said village.
Lieutenant Guilmor Cuare, Deputy Police Chief of Silay City Police Station, said the victim was having coffee in front of their store around 9AM when the perpetrators arrived.
One of them shot the victim’s neck twice at close range then fled, Cuare said.
The victim was declared dead on arrival at a hospital.
Police recovered from the scene two empty cartridges of suspected .45 caliber ammunition.
Cuare said the perpetrators, whose faces were fully covered, may have been monitoring the victim prior to the incident.
Cuare said the victim was released on bail but the trial on his drug charges is ongoing.
Cain was included in the city’s drugs list considering his previous drug charges. He was a street level individual, Cuare said.
Despite the victim’s drug links, Cuare said they could not yet confirm if the incident was drug-related, as they are still looking for other angles that might have triggered the killing.
He said they are looking for copies of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage to help in the investigation.
