CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet: Combined police operatives arrested one of the suspects in the murder of a councilor of Tineg town and his brother at Sitio Madegnak, Alaoa, Tineg on Friday.

Chief Supt. Benjamin Magalong, regional director of the Police Regional Office Cordillera, identified the arrested murder suspect as Dante Zapata, 30, single, of Sitio Tapayen, Alaoa, Tineg, Abra province.

Zapata, together with still unidentified male persons, were tagged as the suspects in the murder of Rey Lanag Tandi, 43, municipal councilor of Tineg, Abra and his brother Roy Lanag Tandi, 37, farmer and both residents of Barangay Alaoa, Tineg, Abra two days earlier in an ambush at sitio Bagangaw, Alaoa, Tineg, Abra.

Initial investigation showed that the fatalities were on a motorcycle from Sitio Narnaan and were reportedly on their way to Barangay Alaoa when they were fired upon by the suspects who positioned themselves in strategic portions of the road.

Roy Tandi was declared dead on the spot due to multiple gunshot wounds in the different parts of his body, while Rey Tandi died while undergoing close medical supervision at the Abra provincial hospital due to multiple gunshot wounds.

Responding operatives of the Tineg municipal police station recovered from the crime scene one .45 pistol with one magazine loaded with two live ammunition and a .357 pistol with one magazine loaded with five live ammunition. The recovered firearms were subsequently turned over to Abra Provincial Police Office prior to turnover to the Regional Crime Laboratory for examination.

Zapata was arrested by joint elements of the Abra police and Regional Public Safety Battalion during a follow-up operation and is now under the custody of Tineg Municipal Police Station. Magalong ordered police operating units in Abra to intensify their manhunt operations against the remaining suspects.