No witnesses yet in Castillejos ambush

The Pasay City police said yesterday chances are slim for witnesses coming out to help shed light on the ambush of Batanes Gov. Telesforo Castillejos and his driver last Wednesday.

Senior Superintendent Marietto Valerio, Pasay police chief, said not one witness on the incident that hurt Castillejos and his driver Albert Patimo wounded, had showed up to help the police in the ongoing probe.

“The incident happened at a very unholy hour, the time when streets are usually deserted. It is most likely that no one really witnessed the incident,” Valerio said.

 The attack happened while the victims’ vehicle was approaching the toll gate of the South Luzon Expressway in Merville Subdivision at around 3:25 a.m.

Castillejos sustained gunshot wounds in the neck and shoulders while Patimo was hit in the head. Castillejos’ son, Dominic, survived the attack and drove the victims to the hospital.

Both Castillejos and Patimo have been taken out of the intensive care unit and are now in stable condition.

 Police are now checking whether the ambush was caught by the two surveillance cameras of two nearby establishments in Pasay City.

Investigators from the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) are now viewing the contents of the surveillance cameras surrendered to the police by the owners of the two establishments, said Senior Superintendent Ericson Velasquez, head of the CIDG-National Capital Region (NCR).

“We are hoping to get the clear picture of the vehicle used by the suspects so we could trace it and also the gunman in the ambush,” said Velasquez in an interview.

According to Velasquez, the owners of the two surveillance cameras are cooperating fully with their investigation to the ambush.

Aside from the surveillance cameras, Velasquez said a certain Alex has showed up before the CIDG, claiming that a nephew knew something about the ambush.

“When the incident was flashed on TV, the witness immediately had a hunch that his nephew has something to do with it. So we are now helping him locate his nephew to extract information vital to the solution of the case,” said the CIDG-NCR chief.

Not road rage

Employees at the provincial capitol in Basco, Batanes agree that Patimo, who was critically wounded in the ambush, was a very disciplined man when driving.

Patimo has been driving Castillejos for the last six years.

Records at the Land Transportation Office here show he has never violated any traffic regulation.

“His courteous manners while driving on the road and dedication to duty, are the primary considerations for the governor to bring him alone when the latter assumed office in 2007,” an official here said of Patimo.

“We do not believe in the police theory that the attempt on the life of the governor was a simple case of road accident,” one of the governor’s staff here said.

“Police investigators better look deeper into the political motivation aspect of the attack,” the official said.

 Castillejos has reportedly summoned his political allies in the province to an emergency meeting this morning at his hospital room.

Those who confirmed their attendance were Ferdinand Elica, Alexander Argonza, Albert Calagui, Rogelio Delapa, Alden Gordo and Ramona EA Castillejos, all members of the political party of President Arroyo and the governor and are members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Other local officials also invited to the meeting are expected to attend if they could be accomodated in this morning’s special flight of Asian Spirit.  – With Non Alquitran, Jack Castano