Day after brother shot in similar ambush: Hotel owner dies in hail of bullets

CEBU, Philippines - Less than 24 hours after the attempt on the life of his brother, the owner of one of the big hotels in Cebu was killed in an ambush late yesterday afternoon in barangay Tisa, Cebu City.

The victim was identified as Manuel Ting, 72 years old, owner of the Parklane International Hotel and ABCED System Corporation, a dealer of electrical and other hardware products.

Ting was on board his car when waylaid by a lone gunman near corner F. Llamas and Katipunan Sts. in barangay Tisa.

The other night, his brother, Nicholas was injured when he was ambushed in barangay Cabangcalan, Mandaue City.

Nicholas is the father of Nixon ‘Jojo’ Dizon, the husband of Mandaue City councilor-elect Emmarie ‘Lollipop’ Ouano-Dizon.

Nicholas was lucky to have survived the attack, but not Manuel, who was hit four times on the head and several times on other parts of his body.

Police recovered at least 22 empty shells of caliber 9 mm from the crime scene in barangay Tisa.

Manuel sustained four gunshot wounds on his head, seven on his chest and was also hit on both his arms and other parts of the body, said Cebu City Councilor Sylvan “Jack” Jakosalem over radio station dySS last night.

Jakosalem said that the doctors, who were attending to the victim, said that when Ting arrived at the Chong Hua Hospital there was already a flat line or that he was already clinically dead.

The doctors pronounced him officially dead at around 7:35 p.m.

Jakosalem, a friend of the victim’s family said that Manuel was a respected businessman and had a lot of friends.

A witness told radio reporters that the gunman wore an all-black get-up and also carried a black bag that contained the gun.

He was apparently waiting for Ting to pass the place on his way home to Banawa from his office at ABCED Systems along N. Bacalso Ave.

After the shooting, the witness said that the gunman ran towards a waiting motorcycle driven by another person then they sped off.

The gunman reportedly did not wear anything to conceal his identity and a witness said that he had been in the area since 4 p.m.

Sr. Supt. Patrocinio Comendador, Director of the Cebu City Police Office, said they are coordinating with the Mandaue City Police Office as he believes that this incident is related to the ambush of Nicholas.

Nicholas was inside his Honda CRV waiting for his female friend to open the gate to an apartment she was renting when fired upon by two men on board a white motorcycle.

Nicholas was hit twice on his chest and also on his left arm and spine. He also sustained a graze wound on his left cheek. He was rushed to Chong Hua Hospital and is now out of danger.

The Mandaue City Police are looking into the possibility of personal grudge, business rivalry or love triangle as the motive behind the attempt on the life of Nicholas.

In the case of Manuel, Comendador said that they are looking into the possibility that a personal grudge is the reason for the killing of Ting.

 Sr. Supt. Vicente Loot, Deputy Director for Operations of the Police Regional Office-7, said that he was tasked by PRO-7 Director Lani-O Nerez to create a special task force for the immediate solution of the case.

Loot believes that the gunman was a professional killer.

Loot, who is Manuel’s godson, described the victim as a soft-spoken person without enemies. He said that if Manuel would have had an enemy in his family, it would be Nicholas.

He said that Manuel was on his way home in Banawa, barangay Guadalupe after having a meeting with his men in barangay Mambaling prior to the incident.

The vehicle used by the fatality is now at the custody of the Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO).

AMBUSH OF NICHOLAS

Mandaue City Police Investigation and Detective Management Bureau (IDMB) deputy chief Insp. Ramil Morpos said that the police found five empty shells of caliber .45 at the crime scene.

The assailants were described to be in their 20s and were seen by witnesses drinking alcoholic beverages at a nearby karaoke bar prior to the shooting.

Morpos said that they are checking the possibility that there are not only two people involved and that there was one, whose task was to tail Ting’s car to give the gunmen the signal.

Morpos said that based on their investigation, they learned that the victim who is engaged in furniture export and owns NS Royal Pensionne is very strict with his employees.

The police also learned that he and a brother had a fistfight in the comfort room of a hotel three years ago.

 The victim also allegedly got into a heated argument with a Korean at the casino last year.

Cartographic sketches of the two suspects have already been completed. – with Flor Z. Perolina and Leslie Caminade/NLQ   (FREEMAN NEWS)