‘Farmer’ in NE slain by motorcycle-riding gunmen is leader of gun-for-hire gang, PNP says

CABANATUAN CITY, Nueva Ecija, November 14, 2012-A 28-year-old farmer from Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija who was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding gunmen in Talavera town has been tagged by the Philippine National Police as the leader of a dreaded gun-for-hire gang involved in a string of criminal activities in the tri-boundaries of Tarlac, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija.

          Senior Superintendent Walter Castillejos, provincial police director, said the victim, Rodel Acosta, was the leader of Acosta Group which has victimized several people in its criminal activities in the three provinces.

          Acosta was gunned down by two suspects aboard an unlicensed Kawasaki Rouser motorcycle at around 5:30 pm last November 9 along the  Maharlika Highway in Barangay San Pascual, Talavera.

           Acosta, who was identified in initial police reports as a farmer, was with his mother Santa Diaz-Acosta at  a spare parts store in San Pascual while having his motorcycle repaired after encountering engine trouble when the two suspects shot him several times, hitting him in the different parts of his body which caused his death.

         Castillejos said upon verification, it was found out that Acosta, alias Del,  was the leader of the Acosta Group which carried out robbery-holdup and carnapping activities in Paniqui, Tarlac, Umingan and Rosales in Pangasinan and in northern Nueva Ecija.

          He said among the members of his gang were Jerry Derije, Pinky de Gracia and Michael Rovero, all former members of the paramilitary group Civlian Armed Force Geographical Unit (CAFGU), Masi Derije and Ariel Umipig, all of Barangay Sta Cruz and Dominador Andres alias Boyet/Teddy of Barangay Sta Clara, all of Cuyapo.

         Based on the case operational plan of the Cuyapo PNP, the group has been using a Kawasaki Bajaj and Honda Wave motorcycles as their getaway vehicles, armed with caliber 45, 9mm, and caliber 38 revolvers and an Uzi machine pistol.

          The group was tagged for the robbery hold-up at Barangay San Antonio, Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija victimizing Quirino Bagalay for which a robbery case was filed against them before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor.

        It was also behind the carnapping of a motorcycle of one Emely Carillo  on August 24, 2012 at Barangay Cabatuan, Umingan, Pangasinan. The vehicle was later used by the group to in a robbery with homicide incident in Guimba last week. 

         Acosta’s group also held up a Shell Gasoline Station in Barangay District V, Cuyapo owned by businesswoman Ramona Ramos where they shot cashier Consuel Ocampo before carting away cash worth P70,000.00.

         Acosta, based on court records, has at least five criminal cases lodged in various courts in the province. (Manny Galvez)