Cops eye 5 angles in NBI asset's slay

MANILA, Philippines - Police investigators are eyeing five angles in the killing of a civilian agent of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Saturday night in Divisoria.

In an exclusive interview with Meisic police station chief Superintendent Nelson Yabut, who is conducting a parallel investigation with the homicide section of the Manila Police District, he said one of the possible motives is a reported turf war among leaders of vendors over Divisoria’s center island.

Domingo Soriano, popularly known as “Bong Soriano” among Divisoria vendors, was allegedly fighting with one “Carol Bakulaw,” for the monopoly of the center island, a location deemed profitable for vendors this holiday season, Yabut said.

Another angle is Soriano’s reported debt, running into millions of pesos, with several creditors whom he allegedly failed to pay.

There are also reports that Soriano was one of the suspects in the foiled attack on another leader of vendors in Divisoria, a certain “Remy,” early this year.

Soriano’s name also cropped up in the killing of barangay chairman Bert Asayo, who was also reportedly engaged in a turf war with the NBI asset.

Yabut said Soriano was also a suspect in the murder of Bulacan mayor Ramon Pagdanganan.

“It seems Soriano had made many enemies as one of the leaders of several Divisoria vendors. We will treat each angle as a possible motive to unmask his killer,” Yabut said.

Soriano was shot by a lone gunman while tending to his merchandise before midnight Saturday near a police outpost.

His killer, who remains unidentified, died after he accidentally shot himself in the thigh while trying to flee on board a motorcycle driven by another man.