Vice mayor’s driver questioned

The Muntinlupa City police has taken into custody the family driver of slain Rizal, Zamboanga del Norte Vice Mayor Perfecto Cebedo.

Police Chief Inspector Rene Lasola, chief of the city police Station Investigation and Intelligence Division (SIID) said they "still have questions" to ask Marclyn Gabrines."

"He doesn’t want to give a statement, but we still have several questions," Lasola said.

For his part, Southern Police District (SPD) chief Superintendent Jose Gutierrez Jr. said authorities will still have to gather evidence that would link the vice mayor’s political rivals to the killing, as claimed by the victim’s family.

"The two families involved have a history, but we are still counter-checking the information given to us," Gutierrez told The STAR in a phone interview.

Cebedo’s brother Prudencio said in a radio interview that the killing last Sunday was politically motivated. He said his family and the Yap clan have long been political rivals.

Lasola claimed a certain Rey Yap was convicted of the murder of the victim’s older brother, Victorio, in 1992, and is now detained at the maximum security compound of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) in Muntinlupa.

Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director Ricardo Macala said NBP records showed that Rey Yap is serving a life sentence for murder and that his case is on appeal with the Supreme Court.

Records further showed that Yap was a former mayor of Sapang Dalaga in Zamboanga del Norte, Macala said.

But he could not confirm if Yap had been convicted for the murder of the older Cebedo. Lasola clarified that Gabrinez, who has been employed by the Cebedo family for five months, is not being detained by the police.

But he said it was "unusual" that the family driver has remained tight-lipped even after his employer was slain by five gunmen right before his eyes.

"We have to help the victim’s family," Lasola said.

He added that keeping Gabrinez in police custody gives the man security and protection as well.

"Of course, he’s the driver and he was able to see a lot of things. The suspect knows he is the star witness," the police said.

Lasola added that the city police have also provided tight security for the slain vice mayor’s wife, Julieta, and their children.

Lasola said police have traced the ownership of the suspects’ getaway car to a certain Emerson Ong of Binondo, Manila.

Lasola said police have yet to determine if the car, a red Toyota Corolla (TNW 707) was stolen.

Police records showed that Cebedo, together with his wife, children Joana and Cydel, and niece Antonette had just visited former Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Romeo Jalosjos at the NBP when the incident happened.

Jalosjos refused to talk to the media about the incident. But Macala confirmed the Cebedos’ visit.

The killing took place at around 5:50 p.m. at the corner of Corporate Avenue and Civic Drive at the Filinvest Corporate City.

Police said the vice mayor alighted from their white Mitsubishi L-300 (TNH 927) as soon as he saw the gunmen get off their car.

Cebedo was shot in the head by the suspects who were armed with M14 and M16 rifles even as the vice mayor pleaded with them to spare the lives of his wife and children.

He sustained multiple gunshot wounds in the head and died on the spot. The gunmen then fired at the van and hit Julieta in the thigh.

The gunmen, who police said did not bother to cover their faces, fled toward Las Piñas, taking with them Julieta’s bag containing some P28,000 in cash and other personal belongings.