Mother bewails hit man’s death

"They promised to protect my son, what happened?"

This was among the many questions raised by the grieving mother of suspected assassin Victor Macaldo, who was killed Tuesday in what the police described was an attempted escape.

But Rosita Macaldo, 56, insisted her son neither attempted to attack lawmen nor was he responsible for the assassination of former Manila Councilor Chika Go in Binondo last Aug. 10.

When interviewed at the Floresco Funeral Parlor yesterday morning, Rosita was still holding on to the food – rice, noodles and sardines in plastic bags – she intended to bring as lunch for her son last Tuesday.

Macaldo was shot dead by P02 Leslie Bautista of the Western Police District as he allegedly tried to grab the gun of P02 Jonathan Ruiz inside an owner-type jeep cruising Romualdez street in Manila. They were supposed to attend a court hearing at the Metropolitan Trial Court in Manila.

The suspect’s mother refused to believe the policemen’s version of the story.

"My son had told me everything for fear that his life wouldn’t last long," said Macaldo’s mother in between sobs. "It is not true that he killed Go. He was merely tortured into admitting the killing."

The mother said her son told her Monday how police arrested him in Mary Homes in Molino, Bacoor, Cavite on Aug. 31, contrary to a police report that the suspect was arrested in Tayuman, Manila on Sept. 1.

"He said a policeman poked a gun at him as he was dragged inside a car, where he was blindfolded, with his hands and feet tied," she recalled. "He was tortured into admitting to the killing of Go."

When her son refused, she claimed a policeman threatened to kill his wife Luzviminda and three-year-old daughter, whom they picked up on the morning of Aug. 31 also in their house in Cavite. The wife and daughter were allegedly kept in a safehouse near the pier in Manila for three days.

At around 9:30 a.m., Tuesday the mother was about to deliver her son his lunch, but a policeman advised her to wait outside as her son was off to court for a hearing. Four hours later, she was told to go to the Ospital ng Maynila, where she found her son’s body at the morgue.

In their report, Bautista, Ruiz and SP03 Mario Mateo maintained that there was actual danger to their lives and killing Macaldo was simply an accident. The three policemen were not available for interview.

The policemen said two men riding a motorcycle fired at them. They said Macaldo took advantage of the situation and tried to snatch the gun of Ruiz.

Bautista quickly reacted and parried the suspect’s hand, during which the gun went off hitting Macaldo in the left leg.

The wounded Macaldo again grappled for the gun, prompting Bautista to shoot him. The motorcycle-riding men managed to escape, but Macaldo died at the hospital.

WPD-Homicide section commander Chief Inspector Juanito Taluban said they are still determining whether the motorcycle-riding men who opened fire at the jeep were Macaldo’s rescuers or executioners.

"Macaldo is a suspect in numerous murder cases. There are different parties interested to get him," Taluban said.

WPD chief Senior Superintendent Pedro Bulaong has designated Superintendent George Gaddi, chief of the district intelligence division, to head a fact-finding team. – With Nestor Etolle