PNP News Releases 2005

POLICE CAPTURE ACCUSED IN MARK CHUA SLAY CASE

After more than four years in hiding, an accused in the 2001 murder of University of Santo Tomas student Mark Welson Chua was arrested by police intelligence operatives in Cavite.

Eduardo TABRILLA alias Eddie Boy, 25 years old, is among four principal accused in the murder of Chua, a mechanical engineering student and ROTC cadet whose tortured body was found floating along the Pasig River in Intramuros, Manila on March 18, 2001.

In his report to PNP Chief, Director General Arturo C Lomibao, Chief Superintendent Ismael R Rafanan, Director of the PNP Intelligence Group, said Tabrilla was arrested by operatives of the Regional Intelligence Office-4A at Block 56 Lot 12 Phase 1, Mabuhay Homes 2000, Paliparan II, Dasmariñas, Cavite.

Lomibao hailed Tabrilla’s arrest as a “triumph of justice” made possible by the perseverance and sacrifices of the intelligence tracker teams assigned to the case.  He expressed optimism that the other suspects will be captured in due time.

Tabrilla is the subject of a Warrant of Arrest issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 18 for the crime of murder along with Paul Joseph TAN and Michael Von Rainard MANAGBAO, both still at-large.

Another accused, Arnulfo APARRI JR., was convicted for the murder of Chua on March 31, 2004 and was sentenced to suffer the Death Penalty. The Court ordered the case against the other accused archived until they are arrested.

According to Rafanan, follow-up operations are underway in Mindanao for the arrest of Tan who is reportedly a nephew of a local politician.

Managbao, son of a former police official in Nueva Ecija, has reportedly fled to the United States in October 2001.