Suspects in robbery-slay of retired cop nabbed in Cebu

CEBU CITY, Philippines – Police on Wednesday, October 25, arrested 4 suspects in the robbery and killing of a retired policeman in this city.

Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, Cebu City Police Office chief, tagged Arman Batulan and Carlito Barbon Jr, both 21, as the principal suspects in the killing of retired Police Officer 2 Jose Medrano Sering Jr, a taxi driver.

The 56-year-old Sering, who retired from the service last year, was killed inside a company-owned cab at around 11 pm on  Tuesday, October 24. He sustained two gunshot wounds in the temple and chest.

Authorities tracked down the principal suspects on a tip from a concerned citizen, Senior Superintendent Dennis Palo Agustin, deputy regional director for operations of PNP-7, told Rappler. 

Among the items that police recovered from Batulan and Barbon were the victim’s wallet containing cash and ID cards, and a police badge.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, Doria also presented to the media two alleged cohorts of the principal suspects – Janno Mancera and a 17-year-old boy.

Police said the names of Mancera and the minor surfaced in the text messages between Batulan and Barbon.

Based on a police report, Batulan and Barbon posed as passengers, and when they declared a robbery in the taxi,  Sering tried to fend them off.

The crime happened in an area called Happy Valley in Barangay Guadalupe in this city, which several taxi drivers described as a “robbery zone.”

Reports said 8 robberies occurred in the area prior to the incident on Tuesday.

Police Officer 3 Nilo Hinay of the Bohol Police Provincial Office said in a Facebook post that he had worked with Sering, a former member of the Provincial Public Safety Command, and knew him as a kind and diligent man.

After Utan Bisaya (Alan Tangcawan) posted a live video of the 4 suspects detained by Cebu police on Facebook, angry netizens flooded his page with demands for “shortcut” justice for Sering. – Rappler.com