CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—The Department of Justice has dismissed the cases against jailed Iligan City Mayor Celso Regencia.
In a decision posted on Thursday, Jan. 12, Regencia, who won overwhelmingly in the May 2016 elections, is behind bars for three counts of murder and four counts of frustrated murder for the alleged ambush of former Iligan City Rep. Vicente Belmonte Jr. and his escorts on Dec. 11, 2014.
The dismissal order was issued on Dec. 9, 2016 and was signed by Rassendell Rex F. Gingoyon, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor, and approved by Lilian Doris S. Alejo, Senior Assistant State Prosecutor and CP Jorge Catalan, Jr., Officer-in-Charge, prosecutor general.
Belmonte’s group was ambushed while traversing the Laguindingan Airport Access road on their way to Iligan.
Three of Belmonte’s men were killed in the ambush—Police Officer 3 Marcus Agtina Andres, driver Ian Dumaguing, and Eustique Silanan, a close aide of Belmonte.
Regencia, together with Amador B. Baller, Rogelio Pitos, Sr., Roemo Suganob, Dominador Sumandulan Tumala, Peejay Capampangan, Alfeo Arnoco, Julito Oros Ansad, Dodo Silvano, Regelio Pitos, Jr., were all charged for the ambush.