2 slain in tollway shootout

Two persons, one a Philippine Estate Authority (PEA) Security enforcer, were killed in a shootout late Sunday afternoon at the tollway plaza on the Coastal Road in Parañaque City.

Police said Edwin Alopijan, 45, assigned at the PEA security traffic office and a resident of Signal Village, Taguig, was killed on the spot.

The other fatality remains unidentified, said case investigator Police Officer (PO) 2 Anthony Alising of the Parañaque police Station Investigation Division (SID). The man sustained three gunshot wounds in the head and died while undergoing treatment at the San Juan De Dios Hospital in Pasay.

Police arrested one Benjamin Blac, 35, a construction worker and resident of Lakas-Bisig, San Andres, Barangay Poblacion, Cainta, Rizal, after the incident. A red Kawasaki motorcycle (TD-1742) was recovered from Blac’s possession.

Alising said the incident happened at around 5 p.m. at the R-1 Tollway Plaza along Emilio Aguinaldo Avenue, Barangay San Dionisio.

Investigation showed that Alopijan and another PEA security traffic officer were manning the toll plaza when they spotted three suspicious-looking men on board a motorcycle coming from Cavite. – Nikko Dizon