BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 63 in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental ordered the arrest of Vice Mayor Adrian Villaflor of Moises Padilla, former mayor Joselito Malabor of Isabela and 12 others. They were charged with murder for the death of Councilor Jolomar Hilario of Moises Padilla in March 2019.
Judge Cyclamen Jison-Fernandez of the La Carlota City RTC issued the warrants of arrest dated Feb. 15.
The 12 others were Vincent Garcia, Felisa Flores-Villaflor, Jonathan Villaflor, Jose Morito Flores, Jimmie Don Plaza, Amy Locsin, Armando Cordero, Roel Bero Sarillo, Jason Ledio Abria, Raymond Estorca Gabitanan, Richard Gelonga Sarillo, Jr., and Joemer Salgado Pablo.
In Criminal Case No. 6495, the respondents were accused of planning on March 23, 2019 in Barangay Sebucawan, Isabela to kill Hilario.
Hilario was attacked in his house in Barangay Inolingan, Moises Padilla on March 31 supposedly by respondents Sarillo, Abria, Gabitanan, Sarillo, Jr., and Pablo.
Aside from the identified individuals in the criminal complaint, there were more or less 50-100 “John Does” who may have had direct participation in the murder.
Hilario – the town’s No. 4 councilor then – was seeking a second reelection at the time of the murder.
Based on the 2019 official report of the Moises Padilla town police, armed men barged into Hilario’s house.
They claimed to be members of the New People’s Army, municipal police chief Captain Junjie Liba said.
Hilario, 51, was peppered with bullets while hiding under the bed.
Before the shooting, Hilario’s wife Michelle and children were taken outside the house. They were left unharmed.
Panay News reached out to the camp of Vice Mayor Villaflor and the other suspects. Their legal team will soon issue a unified statement addressing the allegations./PN
