MIAA hit man tagged in Port Area ambush

The suspect in the ambush-slay of a Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) official was positively identified by witnesses yesterday as one of the gunmen in the attack on a Customs district collector in Port Area, Manila two months ago.

In a press conference, Western Police District (WPD) director Chief Superintendent Pedro Bulaong tagged Zaldy Dagting, 23, of 209 C.M. de Jesus street, Pasay City, as one of the three gunmen in the ambush-slay of lawyer Felipe Bartolome, Customs district collector at the Manila International Container Port (MICP).

Bulaong said Dagting was positively identified by three witnesses — a cigarette vendor and Bartolome’s two police escorts, PO3 Ricardo Grata and PO1 Raul Declaro — as one of the gunmen who peppered Bartolome’s van near the Anda Circle in front of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) building at about 7 p.m. on July 25.

Bartolome and the two police escorts were injured in the ambush, while his driver, Erwin Melmida, was instantly killed in the attack.

Last Wednesday, murder charges were filed against Dagting for the Sept. 9 ambush-slay of MIAA assistant manager for finance Lilia Diaz after he was positvely identified by the victim’s driver as the gunman.

SPO4 Alfredo Salazar, officer-on-case in the Bartolome ambush, noted similar facial characteristics of Dagting with the cartographic sketches of one of the suspects.

After a face-to-face confrontation with the suspect, Declaro and Grata pointed to Dagting as one of their attackers. Their positive identification of Dagting was collaborated by the lone civilian witness, a cigarette vendor, who happened to be at the scene at the time of the ambush.

Bulaong said they are still determining the motive for the ambush of Bartolome. He, however, clarified that the attack on Bartolome and Diaz perpetrated by Dagting, a confirmed hired killer, were not related.

Bulaong said interrogation of the suspect is still ongoing to determine the mastermind and the motive for the attack on Bartolome.

Dagting, a member of the Batang City Jail gang, was arrested by the Manila police in Tanyag, Taguig last week following tips from police assets.

Dagting was scheduled to be turned over to the Parañaque police last week when his participation in the Bartolome ambush was uncovered.

Manila Assistant City Fiscal Winnie Edad charged Dagting with murder and three counts of frustrated murder with no bail recommended.

Meanwhile, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is verifying reports that Bartolome and his men had intercepted a shipment of illegal drugs days before the ambush attempt.

"We are investigating all the angles," said Rosauro Bautista, executive officer of the NBI-National Capital Region. He said agents are also checking the background of people reported to have tailed Bartolome a few days before the ambush.

Bautista, however, refused to further elaborate so as not to prejudice the outcome of the follow-up operation.

Reports had it that Bartolome and his men intercepted illegal drugs to be sneaked into the country. The report, however, did not disclose where the shipment came from.

The NBI has stepped into the case on request of Customs Commissioner Antonio Bernardo, who earlier hinted that a syndicate behind a smuggling operation had something to do with the attack. – with Cecille Suerte Felipe, Edu Punay