March 29, 2024

The Abra Police Provincial Police is continuing its investigation involving one of its personnel, who was shot dead in the morning of Jan. 28 in Villaviciosa town.
Abra PPO Director, Col. Alfredo Kiwad Dangani, has condemned the killing of M/Sgt. Frederick Fernandez Ybañez, a former member of the Cebu PPO.
“I extend the sincerest condolences of the whole Abra PPO team to the orphaned family and colleagues of M/Sgt. Ybañez and we assure that justice will be served,” Dangani said.
Dangani has instructed the Provincial Investigation Detection Management Branch to closely coordinate with the investigation team of Villaviciosa Municipal Police Station conducting a probe to determine the motive behind the death of Ybañez.
Ybañez left the police station and proceeded to his rented room at Mommy Chows Food House in Poblacion, Villaviciosa when one of the two unidentified assailants shot him several times at close range. He was reportedly only about 40 meters from the police station.
Police recovered bullet shells for a 9mm pistol and a caliber .45 at the scene.
The victim was brought to the Seares Memorial Hospital but was declared upon arrival.
He succumbed to gunshot wounds at the back of his head, nape, and some parts of his body.
Ybañez was a former member of Cebu PPO and reassigned to Abra PPO on Oct. 11, 2017 as part of the reshuffling of the PNP organization and intensified anti-illegal drug campaign of the Duterte administration.
“In his two years of stay in Abra, Villaviciosa residents attested the good working relationship (they had with) Ybañez as he had no bad records when he was reassigned at the unit,” Dangani said.
“We could not yet disclose as early as now the real motive behind the killing of our comrade. There might be different motives but we don’t want to theorize or make impulsive judgments, rather, we will consider all these possibilities and capsulize the investigation based on evidence,” he added.
The remains of Ybañez were brought back to his hometown in Cebu.
On Jan. 27, a high value target was gunned down in La Paz, Abra.
The victim was identified as Rex Bonnit, 41. He was shot dead while aboard his motorcycle in San Gregorio, La Paz.
Capt. Bob Paguirigan, chief of La Paz Municipal Police Station, said that Bonnit, a resident of Danglas town, had surrendered to the police in their area to clear his name regarding his being a drug personality. – Ofelia C. Empian