Zamboanga del sur: A police officer voluntarily surrendered on Thursday, admitting his involvement in the killing of a colleague in Zamboanga del Sur province.

According to Philippines News Agency, Col. Bonifacio Ara±as, Zamboanga del Sur Police director, identified the police officer-surrenderer as Staff Sgt. Archie Bazan, who was assigned to Margosatubig town in the same province. Ara±as reported that Bazan voluntarily surrendered at the Margosatubig Municipal Police Station and admitted his participation in the shooting incident that resulted in the death of Corporal Armaejo Unab Jornadal on Wednesday afternoon.

Jornadal, 36, was riding a motorcycle on the way home when he was repeatedly shot by one of two men riding tandem on another motorcycle that was tailing him in Barangay Tikwas, Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur. Jornadal, a resident of Barangay Kalubi, San Miguel, was a member of the police's 2nd Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Mobile Force Company. In his statement, Bazan admitted that he served as the driver of the motorcycle used during the commission of the crime, according to Ara±as' report.

The shooter, identified as Cydee Tolentino Labajo, allegedly used Bazan's service firearm to kill the victim. Bazan also turned in his issued service firearm and the motorcycle they used in the incident. Capt. Derfjay Maquinta, Zamboanga del Sur Police information officer, stated that Bazan was forced to surrender after learning he was tagged as a person of interest and all evidence gathered in the investigation pointed to him. The evidence includes video footage captured through closed-circuit television cameras.

The gunman, Labajo, was arrested in a follow-up operation at about 6 p.m. Thursday at his residence in Margosatubig, Maquinta said in a radio interview Friday. During the incident, the suspects took Jornadal's sling bag and service firearm and fled towards the town of Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur. Authorities learned that Jornadal had just processed a cash loan with the Armed Forces and Police Savings and Loans Association, Inc. before the incident, based on a receipt found in the victim's motorcycle compartment. Maquinta noted that Bazan knew Jornadal had applied for a loan because they were together while the papers were being processed. He stated that the victim's firearm was recovered, but the PHP200,000 loaned to Jornadal was not found.