Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo yesterday condemned the brutal killing of the four Kapitan Ramon barangay officials and the injury of three others in Silay City, and said the government will ensure that the lone suspect will be put behind bars.

Robredo said that because of the incident in Silay City, local officials should exercise extra caution in the performance of their functions, especially in the fight against graft and corruption.

“While we urge our local officials to be firm and resolute in the campaign against graft and corruption, they should also be cautious in dealing with the issue,” Robredo said.

The former barangay captain wanted for killing four Kapitan Ramon, Silay City, officials, including its 16-year-old Sangguniang Kabataan chair, and injuring three others, yesterday said he will kill himself if police arrest him.

Silay ABC president Geodith Gallego of Barangay Gil Lopez said he was able to contact former Kapitan  Ramon barangay captain Noel Ayalin, 48, through his cellular phone yesterday morning to appeal to him to surrender.

“He told me if the police come to arrest him, he would commit suicide before they could get him,” Gallego said.

The Philippine National Police in Negros Occidental will begin appointing police chiefs for the towns and cities of Negros Occidental starting March 16, Senior Supt. Allan Guisihan, Negros Occidental police director, said yesterday.

On March 1 Guisihan relieved the police chiefs of all towns and cities of the province and designated officers-in-charge to the vacated positions.

The revamp is being conducted to step up the campaign against the illegal numbers game, and to address the problem of overstaying police chiefs and the morale of junior officers.