Abalos relative shot dead in Mandaluyong

Six armed men ambushed and killed a son-in-law of Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos’ elder brother early yesterday morning.

Dr. Nicolo Echiverri, 43, the head surgeon of Fortune Care and a consultant at the Mandaluyong Medical Center, sustained four gunshot wounds in the body and died on the spot.

Echiverri is married to a daughter of Dr. Arsenio Abalos, who ran and lost the mayoral race in Mandaluyong City last year.

Both Mandaluyong City police chief Superintendent Ericson Velasquez and the Comelec chairman ruled out politics as the motive behind Echiverri’s murder.

Velasquez said Echiverri was on his way to work at Fortune Care in Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City when he was ambushed. At about 7:45 a.m., three of the suspects blocked his car at the corner of Celia and San Rafael streets in Barangay Plainview and opened fire on him with caliber .45 automatic pistols. Three other suspects acted as lookouts.

Echiverri managed to drive his car some 100 meters away from the scene of the ambush before he succumbed to his wounds.

Witnesses said the suspects then casually walked toward a waiting green tricycle and sped away towards Fatima street.

Velasquez said police recovered at least 13 caliber .45 shells from the crime scene. Echiverri’s car, a maroon Mitsubishi Lancer with license plates UNB-312, bore 11 gunshot holes.

The Comelec chairman said he believes neither politics nor robbery played a factor in the ambush.

"He is not in any way involved in any illegal activities," he said. "The way he was killed, there’s an element of anger in it."

Velasquez said they are pursuing three angles of investigation into Echiverri’s murder, including a possible personal grudge as the motive.

"With the help of witnesses, we hope to bag the suspects in due time," he said, adding that a police artist is preparing cartographic sketches of the six suspects.

Velasquez said three teams of policemen are searching the city’s squatter areas, where the suspects are believed to be maintaining hideouts.

At 3 p.m. yesterday, police arrested the driver of the tricycle used by the suspects at the Welfareville Compound in Barangay Addition Hills.

Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela said they recovered the getaway vehicle from the tricycle driver, but clarified that he is not yet a suspect in Echiverri’s ambush.

Valenzuela kept the driver’s identity a secret but added that he is cooperating fully in the police investigation. The tricycle driver claimed he was commandeered by armed men prior to the ambush.

"He’s cooperating fully and our men are now dispatched to a number of areas in Metro Manila to conduct follow-up operations based on the revelation of the driver," Valenzuela told The STAR. "We hope to solve the case very soon."

Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri said the unfortunate doctor was a "distant relative."

The mayor, who traces his roots to the Echiverris of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, said the victim’s forebears – second- or third-degree cousins of his late father, Manila judge Juan Echiverri – migrated years ago to Iligan City.

"They are the silent Echiverris," the mayor told The STAR, adding that he and his family "wish to express our condolences to the family and the whole clan of the late Dr. Echiverri. We are with you in your hour of grief."

Echiverri’s murder was the second tragedy to hit the Abalos clan in less than a week. Last Friday, Ciara Marie Abalos, a daughter of Mandaluyong Rep. Benhur Abalos, died of an Escherichia coli infection at the Cardinal Santos Memorial Medical Center in San Juan. Ciara, one of a set of 19-year-old female twins, was said to be the Comelec chairman’s favorite granddaughter.

Following Ciara’s death, the Department of Health (DOH) urged the public yesterday to observe good personal hygiene and sanitation to prevent E. coli infection.

Dr. Luningning Villa said E. coli bacteria are naturally found in the body, but certain practices and situations – such as a weakened immune system and unsanitary habits – could trigger an infection.

She said the basic principles of sanitation and personal hygiene could prevent E. coli infections.

"Wash your hands properly. Make sure that food (is) properly washed and cooked. If you doubt the potability of your water, don’t drink it," Villa said.

She also dismissed fears that swimming could cause a person to become infected.

"It’s only common sense. If you see that the water is dirty, then don’t swim. But you don’t have to spoil your summer and not swim because you fear that you’ll acquire E. coli," Villa said. — With Jerry Botial, Sheila Crisostomo