ROLAND Salundaguit Arita admitted on Monday, March 26, he was a hitman and had killed two men, one of whom was the killer of his uncle.
The 38-year-old resident of Barangay Adlaon, Cebu City said he relished the killings as he wanted to help the police weed out the bad guys.
"Kanang pagpatay angkonon ko na, (I will admit the killings)" he said.
Arita was caught in Barangay Pulangbato, Cebu City on Sunday, March 25, by the operatives of Mandaue City Police Office-Station 1 led by Chief Inspector Aldrin Villacampa.
Several firearms, including a high-powered M14 rifle loaded with seven bullets, were seized from Arita.
The other evidence seized were a .45 pistol, two magazines for .45 pistol loaded with three bullets each, three magazines for KG9 submachine pistol, eight bullets of .357 revolver, 11 bullets of .380 pistol, a pack containing empty shells, black bonnet, gloves, jacket and a bag.
On Saturday, March 24, police arrested a 17-year-old boy and his 18-year-old companion hours after they shot dead Niño Tañajura, a former inmate of Cebu City Jail, in Barangay San Nicolas, Cebu City.
The suspects admitted receiving P45,000 from a drug lord for the assassination. The suspects had reportedly killed six persons in the past, all of which were drug-related cases.
Senior Superintendent Joel Doria, the Cebu City Police Office director, said the arrests proved that some of the drive-by shootings were perpetrated by drug groups, not government-backed vigilantes.
He received a report that a big-time drug personality, who is based outside Cebu, continued to contact his underlings and give instructions on who to kill.
"The drug groups have their own internal cleansing," said Doria, adding that the hitmen studied their targets.
Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III wants the police to form a task force devoted to solve the unsolved killings.
Police Regional Office (PRO)-Central Visayas Public Information Chief Reyman Tolentin suggested that there should be a meeting between Davide and PRO-Central Visayas Director Robert Quenery.
Doria said he has directed the 11 police station chiefs to conduct regular checkpoints and mobile patrols to prevent future drive-by shootings.
Arita said he did not resist arrest, saying he is not an enemy of the police.
Arita admitted he killed Eric Pedrosa Manzo, 30, in Mandaue City last March 22 and Florencio Clares Layson, 55 last February 17. Both victims were former convicts.
He claimed Layson was the one who killed his uncle last year. He started to self-train in shooting after the incident, vowing to seek vengeance.
Arita was arrested for violating Presidential Decree 1602 (illegal gambling) in 2014 and 2016, but he gained temporary liberty after posting bail. (KAL/VoxPop Cebu)