San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija—The Philippine National Police has stopped its manhunt for the killer of a Regional Trial Court judge in Aurora province, returning to the court the warrant of arrest it earlier issued against the fugitive.
SPO1 Laureano Manuel, warrant officer of the San Leonardo police, returned to the Baler RTC Branch 90 the warrant issued against Eugenio Pingol, prime suspect in last September’s cold-blooded killing of Judge Jude Erwin Alaba.
Ancheta issued the warrant amid reports that Pingol was in Barangay Tabuating, but Manuel said the suspect could not be located.
Alaba and his wife Margarita were reportedly shot by Pingol inside their vehicle on Sept. 1 last year.
Alaba died from a lone bullet wound in the chest while his wife sustained a gunshot wound in her left arm.
Pingol was identified in a cartographic sketch through a description made by one of the witnesses, Paul Saplala.
A team of police investigators led by provincial police director Sr. Supt. Danilo Florentino is currently reviewing the 240 cases handled by the slain magistrate in hopes of uncovering a lead into the killing.