By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan and Jason De Asis
MANILA – The alleged mastermind and an accomplice in the high-profile murder of Subic entrepreneur Dominic Lim Sytin in November 2018 have been arrested, police said Thursday.
In a statement, Central Luzon Police Regional Office (PRO) director Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said Sytin’s younger brother, Alan Dennis Lim Sytin, the alleged mastermind, was arrested in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia on March 22.
Meanwhile, the alleged accomplice, Edrian Rementilla, also known as Ryan Rementilla and Oliver Fuentes, was arrested on the same day in Purok 16, Buhanginan Hills, Pala-o, Iligan City.
“You can run, but you can never truly hide. This arrest proves that no matter how long it takes, justice will always prevail,” Fajardo said.
The official said Alan Dennis was one of Central Luzon’s most wanted fugitives who had a PHP10-million bounty on his head.
Fajardo said they are now coordinating with Malaysian authorities to have Alan Dennis repatriated to the Philippines to face legal proceedings.
Meanwhile, Fajardo said persistent intelligence efforts and coordination among law enforcement agencies led to the arrest of Rementilla, who she said constantly changed locations to avoid capture.
“Si Ryan Rementilla alias Oliver fuentes ay nahuli ng pinagsanib na puwersa ng PRO 3 at PRO 10 sa may area ng Pala-o, Iligan City noong mga bandang 10:30 p.m. nitong Sabado. Ang kanyang pagkakaaresto ay naiparating na rin sa pamilya ng mga biktima (Ryan Rementilla alias Oliver Fuentes was arrested through a joint operation by PRO 10 and PRO 3 in Pala-o, Iligan City at around 10:30 p.m. last Saturday. The victims’ families have already been notified of his arrest),” Fajardo said in a virtual press briefing.
Rementilla has been turned over to PRO-3 for the return of his warrant to the court of origin.
Alan Dennis and Rementilla are facing charges over the 2018 shooting incident in front of the Light House Hotel inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone that resulted in the death of Dominic and the wounding of his bodyguard, Efren Espartero Jr.
Self-confessed gunman Edgardo “Injeck” Luib, who was arrested in March 2019, had pleaded guilty to murder and frustrated murder, and tagged Alan Dennis as the one who hired him. He was found guilty by Olongapo City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 72 in November 2019.
In a 26-page verdict, Olongapo City RTC Branch 72 Judge Richard Paradeza sentenced Luib to serve reclusion perpetua or up to 40 years imprisonment for killing Sytin.
Paradeza also handed Luib another six years and one day to maximum reclusion temporal for frustrated murder of Espartero. (PNA)
