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Santiago City cop chief relieved amid probe on boy’s kidnap-slay

SANTIAGO CITY – The police chief of this region’s premier city was relieved on March 17, almost two weeks after the kidnap-slay of an 11-year-old boy whose gruesome killing had generated a public outcry among all sectors here.

However, Chief Superintendent Ameto Tolentino, Cagayan Valley police director, said the relief of Senior Superintendent Wilhelm Barlis as city police chief had nothing to do with the abduction and killing of Christian Jay Bulos, but was part of a normal police procedure.

"There is no connection between Colonel Barlis’ relief and the (boy’s) killing or other incidents that happened recently. This is merely part of the regular police rotation of officers," Tolentino said.

A resident of Barangay Rosario here, the victim, a grade 6 pupil from the Catholic-run La Sallette School, was kidnapped earlier this month. His tortured body was found stuffed inside a white grains sack floating in an irrigation canal here last March 7.

Barlis was replaced in his post by Senior Superintendent Reynaldo Andres Sinaon, former police chief of Tuguegarao City, Cagayan who himself had served as police chief of this Isabela’s southern city.

The changing of the guard here came in the wake of an intense probe over the Bulos’ killing, over which authorities have kept mum until now as to the identities of the suspects.

However, Tolentino said they have already have several suspects in mind, but he said he could not divulge their identifies as of now as investigators are still building up further evidences against them as well as casing them in preparation for their arrest.

Tolentino also said that the vehicle used by the suspects in abducting their young victim was already identified and this definitely could bolster the case against them, expressing "hope the Santiago police will make the necessary arrest in due time."

Bulos’ death came after his family reportedly failed to raise the ransom amount which his abductors had demanded.

Initially, the suspects were reportedly demanding P5 million for the boy’s release. It was finally lowered down to P200,000, but his family were only able to deliver P100,000, which reportedly angered the suspects, prompting them to kill the boy.

Earlier this week, police formed a task force to go after Bulos’ killers. Chief Inspector Rogelio Marzan, the city police investigation chief, said that the Task Force Bulos was created for a more coordinated effort among government’s various law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation. Its formation, he said, could hasten their nonstop investigation leading to the early solution of the crime, one of the most gruesome incidents took place here in recent years.

Meanwhile, police sources confirmed that the task force had several possible suspects, but they were having a problem with the alleged refusal of the boy’s father to cooperate with the police. CCL

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