Suspect in deadly Davao bombing yields to authorities

COTABATO CITY --- A member of the extremist group behind the Sept. 2 deadly bombing in Davao City voluntarily yielded to authorities Thursday and confessed to his role in the atrocity.Military sources here confirmed the surrender of Jericho De Roma, a member of the Dawlah Islamiyah, which has members in Lanao del Sur and in provinces in Central Mindanao.The 25-year-old De Roma turned himself in to local authorities after dawn Thursday.Sources from the Army’s 6thInfantry Division in Maguindanao said De Roma is scared with how Cotabato City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi is flexing her authority in helping the division and the police neutralize Islamic militants posing threats to public safety. He is aware that the local government unit of Cotabato City was partly responsible the arrest of his four companions last October 29, said a senior official of 6thID, who asked not to be identified.Major Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr., commander of 6thID, said the surrender of De Roma was an indication that he and his companions now feel the pressure being exerted by authorities and Cotabato City local officials to drive them away. We ought to thank the non-uniformed public executives helping the national government address Islamic militancy in this part of the country, Galvez said.Four of De Roma’s companions, Mohammad Chenikandiyil, Jackson Usi Zack Lopez and Ansan Mamasapano were arrested here on October 29 by combined operatives of 6thID and the police with the help of local officials.Three of their accomplices, TJ Macabalang, Wendel Facturan and Musali Ampatuan, all implicated in the bombing in Davao City, were nabbed here last October 6 by joint Army and police intelligence operatives.De Roma was accompanied by his elders to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, after combined police and military operatives searched for him in their house here.The Sept. 2 bombing in Davao City left 15 dead and injured more than 60 others.