Ambush survivor invited for questioning

MANILA, Philippines - A police official who survived an ambush in Quezon City last Wednesday will be quizzed by the Pasay City police on the murder of jueteng whistleblower Wilfredo “Boy” Mayor last Feb. 28.

Senior Superintendent Raul Petrasanta, Pasay City police chief, said he would send an investigator to the AFP Medical Center where Supt. Napoleon Cauyan is recuperating from gunshot wounds.

Petrasanta said Cauyan could provide leads since he and Mayor have known each other for a long time and he could be privy to the threats on Mayor’s life.

Cauyan’s name cropped up in the investigation of Mayor’s death after police investigators found his identification card inside the Volvo car used by the victim.

Meanwhile, Cauyan said he has no idea who wanted to kill him.

Cauyan earlier told The STAR that he knew somebody who might be after Mayor but refused to discuss it over the phone.

Petrasanta said another whistleblower, Sandra Cam, confirmed that Mayor continued to be a heavy gambler and frequented casinos in Metro Manila as well as cockfights in Bicol.

Petrasanta claimed they are still verifying the list of contracts supposedly undertaken by Mayor with the Department of Public Works and Highway (DPWH) in Bicol, which might shed light on the case.

He noted that the list came from a certain Warren Bahillo, allegedly a trusted man of Mayor, and was not signed by a DPWH official.

Meanwhile, Metro police chief, Director Roberto Rosales directed Supt. Leo Francisco, head of the NCRPOs regional police intelligence and operations unit, to conduct a parallel probe on Cauyan’s ambush.

In another development, Cauyan’s affiliation with the Philippine National Police (PNP) remains unsettled pending the appeal of his dismissal from the service.

Cauyan’s status became the subject of inquiry after his ambush last Wed-nesday, reportedly while he was involved in police operations.

He was reportedly used as an asset by a ranking police official in the NCRPO.

When The STAR checked, Senior Supt. Ulysses Abellera of the PNP-Directorate for Police and Records Management said Cauyan was able to get a court injunction from Quezon City Judge Alexander Balot of Regional Trial Court Branch 76 to block his dismissal from the service.        –With Cecille Suerte Felipe