Elizalde Tormis “Ka Jinggoy” Canete, a top leader of the New People’s Army (NPA) in the region, arrived in the city on Tuesday, May 29, to face the multiple charges filed against him.
Right after he was released Monday night from a private hospital in Don Carlos, Bukidnon where he was operated and recuperated, Ka Jinggoy was transported here by the authorities thru a military helicopter.
The team arrived at the Tactical Operations Group (TOG) at the city’s old airport in Barangay at 4:15 p.m. yesterday. He was brought to the Southern Philippines Medical Center for the needed medical examination before he was moved to the Davao City Police Office (DCPO) where he is now detained.
DCPO director Sr. Supt. Alexander Tagum told reporters yesterday that Ka Jinggoy will be tried for a total of 12 criminal cases pending in different trial courts in Davao.
In the 12 cases, Tagum said five are non-bailable offenses.
The non-bailable cases are four counts of murder charges and one count of serious illegal detention.
Among the other charges filed against Ka Jinggoy included four separate attempted murder cases (a total of P400,000 bail bond recommended), robbery by band (P100,000 bail bond recommended), and frustrated murder (P80,000 bail bond recommended).
One of the murder charges filed against Ka Jinggoy involved the death of fish vendor Larry Buenafe who died days after sustaining shrapnel wounds during an NPA attack of Lapanday in Barangay Mandug last year, Tagum said.
Kay Jinggoy, 36, is the commander of Pulang Bagani Company (PBC) 1 of the NPA’s Regional Operations Command, Southern Mindanao Regional committee (SMRC). The command primarily operates in the hinterlands of city and parts of Davao region and the province of Bukidnon.
Jinggoy, a resident of Monkayo, Compostela Valley, assumed the post following the death of Leoncio Pitao, aka Ka Parago, said to be a close friend then of former Mayor and now President Rodrigo Duterte.
SECURITY
As Canete will be temporarily detained at the DCPO pending the issuance of commitment order by the court, Tagum said they will be imposing tightened security measures.
He said the security measure will be at the same level to the one they imposed right after the arrest of Cayamora Maute, the patriarch of the Maute Group blamed for the Roxas Night Market Bombing and the Marawi Seige.
“We don’t want to divulge but the DCPO will provide full security for the protective custody of Kumander Jinggoy,” Tagum further said.
Considering that Ka Jinggoy is a high ranking leader of NPA, the DCPO will not allow friends and relatives, except his mother, to visit him.
Tagum said Ka Jinggoy’s mother, Babeta, “is already with him (at DCPO).”
“We allow (his mother to stay at DCPO) to assure that there will be no something (that will) happen to Kumander Jinggoy (inside the detention center of the city police headquarter),” Tagum added.
Tagum said they will only allow Ka Jinggoy’s lawyers to visit him.
The DCPO chief also warned the progressive group who will conduct rally outside the police headquarters.
Tagum said he may haul the protesters to jail should they not observe the proper venue.
“It is their right to conduct rally but I would like to warn them that there is a particular area allowed for the conduct of rally,” Tagum said, as he pointed out that rallies are only allowed at the Freedom Park.
Major Gen. Ronald Villanueva, commander of the 4th Infantry Division, said Ka Jinggoy was transferred to the city so the pending multiple warrants of arrest would be served against him.
Ka Jinggoy’s mother Babeta, in an interview, expressed her fear.
“I am worried because I am alone in taking care of him,” Babeta said. “It’s just the two of us.”
Ka Jinggoy was arrested in an inter-agency law enforcement operation at 10 a.m. on May 10 inside the Don Carlos Doctors Hospital in Don Carlos, Bukidnon, where he was operated and recuperated for gunshot wounds he sustained in a clash against the 1003rd Brigade troopers in Kitaotao, Bukidnon
two days earlier.
After tracking down that the wanted rebel leader was the hospital, members of the inter-agency team from the 1003rd Infantry Brigade, the 403rd Brigade and the Don Carlos Municipal Police Office immediately went to the hospital to serve several warrants of arrest against the NPA leader for multiple murder and arson charges.
Ka Jinggoy was first arrested some time in 2010 after he was seriously wounded in an encounter in Montevista, Compostela Valley.
However, he was able to jump bail in 2013 and returned to the underground movement.
