Son of Lim’s aide faces homicide raps

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) is set to file criminal charges against a son of lawyer Rafaelito Garayblas for allegedly killing a bystander and an alleged assailant during an ambush attempt against the Manila city official.

Superintendent Franklin Moises Mabanag, chief of the QCPD-Criminal Investigation and Detection Unit, said they will file within the week a case of homicide through reckless imprudence against Pio Garayblas.

The ambush attempt against the older Garayblas, who works as a secretary to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, happened on the evening of June 12 at the corner of Araneta and Quezon Avenues.

The gun battle that ensued led to the death of alleged assassin Christopher Abasula and injuries sustained by those from Garayblas’ camp and some bystanders. Bystander Teresita Manuel, who was hit by a stray bullet, died at a hospital while undergoing treatment hours later that same night.

Mabanag said an autopsy report from the National Bureau of Investigation revealed that the slug recovered from the corpse of Manuel came from a .38 caliber revolver.

A separate investigation by scene of the crime operatives showed that the same gun killed Abasula, he said.

“Based on his (Pio’s) affidavit, he and (bodyguard Jay) Paningbatan were the (only) ones (from Garayblas’ camp) who shot it out with Abasula,” Mabanag said in an interview.

“Paningbatan used a .9 millimeter (handgun) while Abasula was carrying a .45 caliber pistol,” Mabanag noted.

He said both the younger Garayblas and Paningbatan did not tell police investigators what types of firearms they used, but a check with the Firearms and Explosives Division showed that Paningbatan was the only one issued with a licensed firearm – a .9mm handgun.

Mabanag noted that the .38 caliber handgun carried by Pio the night of the assassination attempt on his father was “unlicensed.”

Superintendent Antonio Yarra, chief of the general investigation section of the QCPD-CIDU, tagged as “conclusive” the two reports that led to their saying that Pio was the one who fired the shots that killed both Manuel and Abasula.

Superintendent Marcelino Pedrozo Jr., deputy chief of the QCPD-CIDU, said they will still file charges against Pio despite the decision of Manuel’s family not to press charges.

“It’s our inherent duty (as police investigators). The court will be the one to decide (on the merit of the case),” Pedrozo said.