BACOLOD CITY –Three persons, including a councilor and a village chief in Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental surrendered to the police on Monday, Aug. 23, six months after their arrest warrants for murder came out early this year.
Councilor Jose Morito Flores, 56; Barangay Quintin Remo captain Felisa Villaflor, 45; and her husband, Jonathan, 49, were tagged in the murder of town councilor Jolomar Hilario, who was shot in front of his family in his residence at Barangay Inolingan in March 2019.
Police Capt. Randy Babor, town police chief, said that these three people were accompanied by Mayor Ella Garcia-Yulo when they surfaced at the police station that morning.
Babor said that they surfaced to the authorities with the primary intention to clear their names on the allegations against them.
Babor said that Flores and the village chief were officially on leave when they surrendered to the authorities. But, he has no idea about the reasons of their official leave from the office.
Babor said these people are now detained at the police station after they served them with arrest warrant with no bail recommended issued by La Carlota City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Cyclamen Jison Fernandez on February 15, 2021.
Eleven others were also linked to the murder of Hilario, including Vice Mayor Adrian Villaflor, and two councilors, who were still on official leave. All vehemently denied their alleged participation in the crime.
For her part, Garcia-Yulo considered it as a political harassment, but did not elaborate further.
She said the officials have nothing to do with the killing and were only implicated by her political opponent.
Babor assured of their security while being detained at the police station.