MANILA – Reports reaching Manila indicated that a contractor who allegedly identified himself as an Army captain, together with three others including a woman, were arrested Wednesday at a police dragnet where firearms were also seized from their two-vehicle convoy in Barangay Bagbaguin, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
Bulacan Provincial Police Director Senior Supt. Ferdinand Divina identified the contractor as Lydio Dapetillo y Bayot, 37, a resident of Unit U Kamias, No.6 K-8th Street, Barangay West Kamias, Quezon City.
The dragnet was set up after police received a report that Dapetillo had pointed a gun at a complainant.
Dapetillo’s companions were identified as Romeo Rivera Jr. y Magbanua, 49, of Block 82, Lot 18, Northville 2B, Bagumbong, Caloocan City; Ernesto Avellanosa Jr. y Lorenzo, 48, of No. 333, JP Rizal Street, Barangay San Gabriel, Sta. Maria, Bulacan; and Stella Nepomuceno y Abella, 60, of Minglanilla, Cebu and currently residing at No. 168, Barangay San Gabriel, Sta. Maria, Bulacan.
In his report to provincial headquarters, Sta. Maria police chief Supt. Rodolfo Hernandez said that, prior to the suspects’ arrest, Dapetillo’s convoy stopped at around 11 a.m. in front of the RDG Military Supplies establishment in Paso area in Barangay Bagbaguin.
“On board a white Toyota Fortuner (NIZ-223), Dapetillo, with Stella Nepomuceno and a certain person identified as alias Jun parked in front of RDG Military Supplies. Dapetillo rolled down the window and introduced himself as a Captain of the Philippine Army and asked the victim, identified as Constancio Dapiton Jr., to come outside the store,” Hernandez said.
“While Dapiton was walking toward the Toyota Fortuner, he noticed that Dapetillo was pulling out something from his waist. In front of Dapetillo, Dapiton saw a gun held by the former pointed at him. While they were talking to each other the gun of the suspect was aimed at Dapiton. The incident was reported to the Sta. Maria Police right after the convoy left,” he added.
The police immediately set up a dragnet operation to apprehend the convoy. Hernandez, however, did not explain why the person identified as alias Jun was able to elude arrest.
Arrested from the back-up Isuzu MUX (with license plate AWA 9859) were Avellanosa and Rivera.
Hernandez said his men seized two caliber .45 pistols with serial numbers 23041361 and ASC07456 and several magazines and munitions from Dapetillo’s car. The back-up vehicles yielded a US-made caliber .30 Carbine rifle loaded with a magazine full of bullets and a cal. 45 pistol (SN 1314494).
A check made by the police on the veracity of Dapetillo’s claim that he was a military officer turned out negative.
“Criminal complaints of grave threat, usurpation of authority and violation of Republic Act 10591 against Dapetillo was now being prepared for filing before the Provincial Prosecutors Office,” Divina said.
This was aside from another possible case of illegal possession of firearms if the guns seized from them are found to be undocumented.