BANISILAN, COTABATO — Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the death of an elderly retired teacher couple who were found unresponsive inside their residence in Barangay Poblacion 2, Banisilan, Cotabato, on October 4.
The Cotabato Police Provincial Office (CPPO), through the Banisilan Municipal Police Station (MPS), identified the arrested suspect only by the alias “Rem.” He was apprehended at about 10:30 a.m. on October 6, 2026, at Sitio Kib-al, Barangay Guiling, Alamada, Cotabato—within 72 hours of the fatal incident.
The arrest marks a major development in the investigation into the deaths of Elsa Bermejo Galeno, 82, and Edwin Daquil Galeno, 81, both retired teachers and longtime residents of Banisilan.
The couple was discovered dead at the rear portion of their home in Purok Matulungin-A, Barangay Poblacion 2, in the early morning of October 4. Initial police information indicated that neighbors were alerted at around 3:30 a.m. after reportedly hearing repeated cries for help coming from the vicinity of the residence.
When residents checked the area, they found the elderly couple unresponsive and suffering injuries.
Initial findings indicated that Elsa sustained a head injury believed to have been caused by a blunt object, while Edwin suffered a head injury and a stab wound to the chest. Investigators also recovered a knife and a small wooden club or stick from the scene, although authorities had yet to establish their precise connection to the incident.
Following the discovery, police launched an investigation and conducted continuous monitoring and coordination in an effort to locate the person allegedly responsible.
According to the CPPO, the suspect was eventually traced to Sitio Kib-al through sustained area monitoring and coordination with the local chief executive and other concerned individuals who assisted authorities in locating him.
An Alternative Recording Device (ARD) was used during the operation. Police said the suspect was informed of his constitutional rights in a language he understood, and that the arrest was carried out in accordance with existing rules and procedures.
After his apprehension, the suspect was brought to the Banisilan Municipal Police Station for booking and documentation.
Authorities said further investigation is continuing to establish the complete circumstances surrounding the deaths, including the sequence of events, the motive, and the evidence that may link the suspect to the fatal attack.
The CPPO, under Provincial Director PCOL Rammel B. Hojilla, said police remain committed to pursuing persons allegedly responsible for serious offenses while ensuring that investigations and legal proceedings are conducted in accordance with due process and the constitutional rights of all concerned.
The arrest is expected to provide investigators with an opportunity to further clarify what happened inside and around the Galeno couple’s residence in the early hours of October 4.
The case remains under investigation, and the arrested individual is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.