TV director killed in Makati bar shooting

A director for an ABS-CBN television program was killed while six others, including a police officer were hurt, when a man brandishing a handgun opened fire in front of a upscale bar in the commercial district of Makati City before dawn yesterday.

Luis "Luigi" Santiago, 26, director of the horror and supernatural encounter series Nginiig, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Makati Medical Center (MMC) after being shot at the Venezia Club in Glorietta II, Ayala Center. He sustained a lone bullet wound in the chest.

Senior Inspector Merquiodi Bodanio, the deputy commander of Police Community Precinct 6, was among those hurt in the incident. Also taken to the MMC was Mary Ann Santano, 24, whose left kneecap was shattered by a bullet; Arnel Henteron, 32, a disc jockey; Charlton Yu, 30; Geraldo Nicolas Lauron, 30; and Althea Aversu, 21.

Police are now searching for the unidentified gunman who escaped in a brown Ford Explorer, said Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. Police have obtained the vehicle’s plate number, he added.

"The gunman fired indiscriminately at both men and women," Binay said.

The mayor said the incident was apparently triggered by a quarrel involving two sets of female patrons, prompting the young gunman to get his gun from his car and began shooting.

Senior Inspector Gary Reyes, chief of the Makati police homicide division, said they have coordinated with the Land Transportation Office to verify the ownership of the vehicle.

Reyes confirmed that the incident started from a brawl inside the bar involving several groups of young men and women.

"All those we have questioned, including those wounded, said they do not know which group the suspect was with," he said.

Reyes said Bodanio was among the first police officers to arrive in the area following the altercation involving the bar patrons.

While he was trying to pacify the crowd, the suspect slipped out and went to his car to get his gun.

The gunman, in a fit of rage, opened fire in the direction of the crowd without aiming at a particular person.

The lone fatality was hit in the chest while the others were hit in the leg.

Santiago graduated from the New York University-Tisch School of the Arts and also majored in Philippine Studies and minored in Theology.

He went on to direct Hidden Files in Studio 23 and the award-winning series Nginiig, which investigates paranormal cases and supernatural encounters.

In a statement, ABS-CBN said it regrets the sudden demise of the young director.

"His unexpected and senseless passing brings great sorrow to us, his ABS-CBN family. We would like to request all our kapamilyas to join us in prayer and mourning for our beloved Direk Luigi," ABS-CBN said.

Raymond Bagatsing, original host of Nginiig, said he and other people connected with the show are very much affected by the death of the young director.

"He was like a brother to me. We were very close," Bagatsing said.

Santiago’s remains lie at the Santuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park, Makati.