Assassination is normal in the Philippines not only for government officials but also for regular citizens. The most common method of assassination for both citizens and officials is a motorcycle duo riding up on the target and then blasting them away. This series will document the number of citizens assassinated on a monthly basis. These stories are to be distinguished from regular murder cases which happen on a daily basis.
Police are pursuing two motorcycle-riding men who allegedly shot a dog dead in Ramon on April 24, using closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage to trace the motorcycle’s plate number.
Police Maj. Jay-ar Olya-on, Ramon Police chief, said one of the suspects shot the dog with a 9mm pistol along the Isabela–Alfonso Lista road in Purok 6, Barangay Ambatali. The incident is being investigated as a violation of the Animal Welfare Act of 1998.
“We tracked CCTV footage from Ambatali showing that the suspects, who came from Alfonso Lista, Ifugao, passed through San Mateo, Cabatuan, and later Cauayan. We hope this will help as we continue tracing the plate number through the cybercrime laboratory,” Olya-on said in a phone interview on Friday, May 8.
He added that investigators are verifying information to identify “persons of interest” believed to have come from Alfonso Lista before traveling elsewhere in Isabela.
Aside from possible violations of the Animal Welfare Code, the suspects may also face investigation for illegal discharge of a firearm or illegal possession of firearms, Olya-on said.
CCTV footage taken around 5:30 a.m. on April 24 showed the dog barking at the passing motorcycle while it was traveling eastbound along the road.
Authorities said the riders appeared irritated by the dog’s barking, turned back, and one of them shot the animal. The dog later died from its injuries.
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Dog owner Jesslyn Laddaran acknowledged that the animal had not been placed on a leash, but stressed that the killing was unjustifiable.
“It is not right and never justifiable to shoot a dog to death,” Laddaran told the Inquirer in an online interview on Thursday evening.
The footage showed the dog chasing and barking at the motorcycle before one of the riders pulled out a firearm and shot it.
Olya-on noted that while local ordinances require dogs to be leashed, passersby should have reported the matter to the owner or barangay officials instead of resorting to violence.
Motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed a 40-year-old Indian moneylender on Friday morning, May 8, while he was driving his motorcycle in Caloocan City.
The Northern Police District (NPD) said the incident happened along Kabatuhan Road in Barangay Deparo.
Initial investigation showed that the victim was riding his motorcycle when two suspects onboard another motorcycle approached and shot him at close range.
The suspects immediately fled toward Deparo Road after the shooting.
Police and the victim’s wife believe the killing may be connected to the victim’s lending business.
The wife said her husband had previously complained about difficulties in collecting debts, with some borrowers allegedly avoiding payment.
She added that the victim sometimes got into verbal confrontations over unpaid loans.
Police ruled out robbery as a motive.
At the crime scene, investigators recovered five empty shells, three deformed slugs, and one live round of ammunition from a .45-caliber firearm.
The recovered pieces of evidence have been turned over to the Northern Police District Forensic Unit (NPD-FU) for ballistic examination.
As of this writing, authorities were conducting backtracking operations using closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage in the area to identify and arrest the suspects.
A 36-year-old seven-months pregnant teacher was shot dead by motorcycle-riding gunmen in Barangay Bumagcat, Tayum, Abra Saturday night.
Police identified the victim as Maria Elaine B. Valencia, an elementary school teacher in Taguig City and resident of Barangay Pawa, Lagangilang, Abra.
Investigation said the victim was on her way to a bus terminal in Bangued, Abra onboard a motorcycle driven by her husband, accompanied by his cousin and a companion on another motorcycle, when the gunmen appeared and shot her.
The suspects fled and Valencia was taken to a hospital in Bantay, Ilocos Sur, where she was declared dead from multiple bullet wounds.
Recovered in the area were four empty caliber .45 pistol shells.
Police are pursuing the suspects and conducting follow-up investigation.
A senior citizen was shot dead in Basilan province on Sunday evening, May 10.
Police identified the victim as Gilberto Francisco Toledo.
Investigation said the victim driving a motorcycle in Barangay Lanote, Isabela City when gunmen onboard a motorcycle appeared and shot him.
The victim crashed and succumbed to fatal bullet wounds.
Toledo’s family and friends are shocked over the attack as the victim was well-known and helpful member of the community.
Police are conducting follow-up investigation and manhunt operations. Personal grudge is eyed as a possible motive.
Police are looking for the suspects who shot a 27-year-old man dead while he was lying in a hammock in Lorega San Miguel, Cebu City early Wednesday morning, May 13.
As of Friday, May 15, the victim’s remains had already been turned over to his family after he succumbed to his injuries.
Police Senior Master Sergeant Nemesio Zulueta Dinopol said authorities already have initial leads regarding the possible perpetrators but are still validating information before publicly identifying any suspects or persons of interest.
“Sa pagkakaron, naa na mi mga lead. Amo lang gi-sure before namo i-declare,” Dinopol said in an interview.
(“We have leads for now, but we are verifying them before making an official statement.”)
Authorities are also corroborating accounts from possible witnesses and residents living near the area as part of the continuing investigation.
Police have likewise appealed to the public to cooperate and provide information that may help identify the suspects involved in the shooting.
Based on the initial investigation of the Parian Police Station, the victim, identified as alias “Ricson,” had reportedly been sleeping in a hammock at a nearby vacant lot in Sitio Samayo, Barangay Lorega San Miguel, before he was shot.
According to the victim’s cousin, they earlier heard gunshots but initially ignored the sound.
Moments later, they heard the victim moaning and found him wounded and bleeding on the ground beside the hammock.
Authorities received a call for assistance at around 1:30 a.m., and responding officers later found the victim unconscious at the scene.
The victim was rushed to the Cebu City Medical Center aboard a police mobile vehicle for immediate medical treatment, but died hours after the incident.
Dinopol said investigators are currently looking into a personal grudge as one of the possible motives behind the attack.
“Usa namong gitan-aw ron ang personal grudge nga possibility kay dili man pud ma-consider nga suicide or self-inflicted ang iyahang samad. So posible nga naay perpetrator ani,” he said.
(“One of the possibilities we are looking into right now is personal grudge, because his wounds cannot be considered self-inflicted or the result of suicide.”)
On the other hand, police are investigating whether illegal drugs may have played a role in the incident.
As of this writing, authorities have yet to officially identify suspects in the case as the investigation continues.
A 63-year-old vendor on her way to buy fish to sell was wounded after unidentified riding-in-tandem suspects shot her while she was riding a habal-habal (motorcycle-for-hire) in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City early Friday morning, May 15.
The victim, identified as Elena Bascon of Barangay Buhisan, was heading to Pasil Fish Port when the shooting happened along Tres de Abril Street at around 5 a.m.
Initial police investigation showed that the victim was riding a habal-habal when armed men on another motorcycle allegedly approached them from behind and shot her once.
The habal-habal driver only realized that his passenger had been hit after hearing a gunshot and the victim suddenly asked for help.
“Pagbuto, nilingi ko, paglingi nako, niana siya’g kalit, ‘Dong, tabang.’ Paglingi nako nagtulo-tulo na ang dugo,” the driver said in an interview after the incident.
(“When I heard the gunfire, I turned around, and she said suddenly, “Help me, son.” She was bleeding badly.”)
The driver said the victim did not immediately fall from the motorcycle after the shooting.
He added that he stopped after noticing that the victim was already bleeding and about to fall off the motorcycle.
The driver said the bullet reportedly struck the victim in the upper back area and exited through her neck.
According to the driver, the victim had boarded his motorcycle in Barangay Buhisan and was supposedly heading to Pasil to buy fish she intended to sell.
He said the victim was his neighbor and regularly earns a living by selling fish around different areas.
The driver added that the victim had no fish with her yet at the time of the incident since she was still on her way to buy supplies from the fish port.
The victim also told him she had no known enemies when he asked her shortly after the shooting.
“Wa kay kontra, ‘Te?’ Niingon siya, ‘Wala man,’” he said.
The driver maintained that he had no idea whether the victim was being followed prior to the shooting, explaining that he was focused on driving the motorcycle.
As of this writing, the victim remains confined in a hospital while police continue investigating the riding-in-tandem incident.
Based on initial information from Labangon Police Station, investigators are also looking into information that the victim may have been suspected of being a police informant due to alleged illegal drug activities in their neighborhood.
However, authorities said the victim herself claimed she had no known enemies.
Police have yet to identify the gunmen involved in the shooting as the investigation continues.
A 40-year-old man was killed by a gunman while desperately seeking help at the doorway of a house in Rodriguez, Rizal on Wednesday, May 13.
Based on the initial police investigation, a 69-year-old witness said he was about to exit his home in Jovil 3 Annex when the victim suddenly rushed to his doorway, pleading for assistance.
Moments after, another man wearing a black jacket also appeared at the entrance.
Without warning, the suspect drew a firearm and fired two shots at the victim.
“Upon confirming that the victim was hit, the suspect did not linger; he immediately turned and fled out of the house, heading in the direction of Sitio Harangan,” police said.
The incident was reported to personnel of Sierra 4 who immediately responded and cordoned the crime scene for investigation.
On Friday, May 15, Rodriguez Municipal Police Station chief Lt. Col. Arwyn Gaffud said they are conducting a follow-up operation to arrest the suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed. They are also determining the motive behind the killing.
A 20-year-old man was killed after he was shot while asleep in a hammock late Friday night, May 15, in Barangay Gaulan, Diplahan, Zamboanga Sibugay, police said.
Authorities identified the victim as Jerry Mariano Taño, a resident of Purok 1, Villacastor, Buug, Zamboanga Sibugay.
Initial police investigation showed that Taño was resting in a hammock when an unidentified suspect approached and shot him at close range in the head. The victim died instantly, his body falling onto a nearby bamboo bench, with blood pooling beneath the hammock.
Police said they received a report of the incident at around 11:35 p.m. from personnel of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO). Responding officers and investigators were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Witnesses said the assailant, carrying an undetermined firearm, fled on foot toward Barangay Guitom in neighboring Buug town after the attack.
Authorities are still determining the motive behind the killing and are working to identify and locate the suspect.
Police in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) have launched a hunt against two men who shot dead a local radio announcer in the region’s Special Geographic Area (SGA) on Thursday night.
Capt. Vilma Dimaraw, chief of the Malidegao municipal police station, said that radio broadcaster Nestor Micator, 45, also known as “Teting,” was shot in front of the village hall in Barangay Fort Pikit, Malidegao town, SGA-BARMM, at about 7 p.m.
Micator is a news anchor and commentator for D’Empire Radio, based in Poblacion, Pikit, Cotabato province.
Dimaraw said Micator is also a member of the Lupong Pambarangay (village council) of Barangay Fort Pikit.
“He was about to board his motorbike with his wife when two men riding in tandem on a motorbike arrived and shot him in the head. He died instantly, while his wife was unharmed,” the police official said in a radio interview Friday.
Dimaraw said police investigators are still determining if Micator had been receiving death threats and whether the attack was related to his work as a radio commentator or as a member of the village council.
The FM radio station management issued a statement condemning the attack on Micator.
“We strongly condemn this senseless act of violence and call for justice to be served immediately,” the statement issued Thursday night said.
Dimaraw said the police have several “persons of interest” linked to the crime but declined to provide further details.
A 56-year-old balikbayan or returning Filipino was shot dead by two men onboard a motorcycle while walking with his wife in Barangay Aring here on Wednesday afternoon, May 27.
Badoc police chief Police Capt. Elison Pasamonte said the victim sustained multiple bullet wounds and was declared dead in a hospital. The victim’s wife was unharmed.
Recovered from the crime scene were three spent .45 caliber shell casings.
Police have several angles and persons of interest but declined to disclose further details to avoid affecting the ongoing investigation.
The victim and his wife frequently visited the Philippines after retiring from their jobs in Hawaii.
A 72-year-old former OFW was shot dead Tuesday night in Barangay Catablan, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.
Residents heard gunshots and reported these to the Urdaneta City Police Station which found the victim lying on the ground with bullet wounds.
The victim was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead.
CCTV footage in the area showed a man fleeing after the incident.
Crime scene investigators recovered three fired cartridge cases and one slug.
Police are conducting follow-up investigation.
