DUMAGUETE CITY – The wife and daughter of Dauin, Negros Oriental Mayor Galiciano Tuita and two others were held hostage for several hours by the local chief executive’s driver inside their home in Dauin Saturday, Aug. 27.
The victims were identified as Maricar Truita, wife of Mayor Truita; their daughter, Jemimie; Lisa Tuba, and Maria Carmen Truita, a report from the Dauin police station sent to the Negros Oriental Provincial Police Office (NOPPO) said.
Initial investigation disclosed that the suspect, Venirando Dalope, 57, from Pangasinan but currently residing in Siaton, Negros Oriental, took the four women hostage inside the Truita residence in Barangay Masaplod Sur around 9 a.m.
Police Lt. Louie Bantoto, Dauin police chief, said the mayor, who was in Manila, called for assistance after learning of the incident.
Bantoto said that the incident dragged on until shortly before sundown when the suspect surrendered.
The hostage taker, who was armed with a .45 caliber handgun, surrendered to Bantoto after hours of negotiations and is now in the custody of the authorities.
Investigators are still determining the motive for the hostage-taking even as police are preparing charges for illegal possession of a firearm and illegal detention against him.
The victims were not harmed, although the police declined to give additional details about the hostage-taking. (PNA)