PRESS STATEMENT OF PNP CHIEF DIR. GEN. JESUS VERZOSA

I am pleased to announce the return to the custody of prison authorities of the convicted killer of Congressman Moises Espinosa Sr of Masbate.
Florencio "Jun" Fernandez aka "Potot",47yrs old, has been the subject of a regionwide manhunt launched by the Police Regional Office 5 in support of efforts to recapture the fugitive who bolted the Masbate Old Provincial Jail located at the compound of the Bulwagan ng Katarungan, Brgy. Centro in Masbate City last June 22, 2009 at around 4:34 am.
Initially, a police tracker team was fielded by the Masbate Provincial Director, SSupt Reuben Theodore Sindac to join the manhunt for Fernandez.
Masbate Police also coordinated with Provincial Jail authorities and flashed an alarm to all municipal police stations and other law enforcement units in the province in order to look for and immediately arrest the escaped convict
A similar notice was also given to the PRO5 in Legaspi City to notify and inform all provinces in the Bicol Region
Upon his surrender to former Governor, Atty. Ranier Butalid, Mr. Fernandez was picked up from the Masbate Airport at 8:15am and was airlifted on board one of two UH-1H (Huey) helicopters of the Philippine Air Force.
The airlift mission and operation was supervised and coordinated by the Chief of the National Operations Center (NOC) CSupt Constante Azares Jr., to keep the surrender highly confidential since the threat on Fernandez is very imminent in Masbate City.
The fugitive is the younger brother of former assemblyman and Governor, Atty. Jolly Fernandez who was also implicated in the killing of Congressman Espinosa but was himself murdered in October 1991 while the case was undergoing trial.
Meanwhile, Florencio Fernandez was found guilty for the murder of Congressman Espinosa and sentenced to four life imprisonment terms.
The surrender of the convicted fugitive is indeed a great development to this case. Let me commend CSupt Azares, as well as Atty. Butalid for his cooperation with the police that led to the peaceful surrender of Fernandez. (PRESS STATEMENT OF PNP CHIEF DIR. GEN. JESUS VERZOSA/ JULY 1, 2009)